One Night Stand
by eccentric chams
Summary: After a celebratory night out, Edward Cullen wakes up in Bella Swan's apartment and leaves unnannounced. She plagues his thoughts for weeks; so imagine his surprise when she calls with shocking news. Will this one night stand turn into forever?
1. I'll Have A Maker's Mark

**Disclaimer: **The characters from the Twilight universe belong to , of course.

**Authors Note:** I'd like to thank my beta, _Britanii_ for her wonderful help with starting this fic. Thanks to Anlynne and effection with help on the plot. As well as **azulskies** and **kwickie** for their never ending encouragement!

**Quote: **"_If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes one feel aware of God, one need not go far to find it. I think that I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle_." - Vincent van Gogh

**Chapter One**

I sat at the bar next to Emmett, downing the latest shot he had set down in front of me. I growled at the burning sensation the alcohol always left as it went down my throat. Two more were immediately placed in front of us, again, and I frowned, looking from the shot glass to Emmett.

"To a welcome home!" He chided, picking up his shot glass and holding it in the air.

"That's also what you toasted the last three shots to," I told him, picking up mine and holding it out as well.

He grinned, and tapped his glass to mine before putting it on the bar top for a second and then drinking it down. I followed in suit before putting the glass down. I turned around on the stool, facing the dance floor.

"You want one more?" Emmett asked, I deftly shook my head and stood up, hopefully maintaining my balance well.

I felt a tapping about halfway down my back and furrowed my brow, turning around to see who it was. There stood Tinkerbell's angelically looking evil twin. She had to be—with the black hair rather than blonde. I bit back a grin at my own drunken, pitiful joke.

"I think you should ask my friend to dance," she said, her blue eyes set off by the wide smile on her face.

"Should I?" I murmured, "And who might your friend be?"

"She's over there—having one whale of a time," her voice heavy with sarcasm. She took me by the arm and pulled me a few steps forward, pointing to where another girl sat by herself with an empty glass in front of her. As if on cue the girl looked at me, her eyes wide in shock, or possibly horror; she shook her head.

"Doesn't appear she wants to dance with me," I said, turning around to see where Emmett was, but he was no longer behind me at the bar.

"She will—just ask her."

And with that, the little fairy was gone. I almost had to wonder if she really even made an appearance—though, hallucination wasn't a side-effect of drinking. I walked to where her friend sat, now wearing a very nervous smile. I put my hands down on the table, steadying myself to keep from swaying. I peered down at her as her brown eyes gazed up at me, questioningly.

I braced myself, repeating the words over in my head to keep from slipping up—but I couldn't help the slur, if there was one, you could never tell. You always sounded so intelligent to yourself after a bit of drinking.

"Would you like to dance?" I finally asked.

She blinked before nodding slowly, standing and coming to walk to my side. I took in her appearance—a pair of form fitting jeans and a deep blue, top that hung off her shoulders. She had nice shoulders. I placed my hand on her lower back, feeling the silky material of the shirt, and wondered if that's actually what her skin felt like as well. I was moving too fast. I asked her to dance, not have sex. Ever the gentleman, I guided her towards the dance floor.

"You're not obliged, you know," she said softly.

"I know," I replied as we squeezed through dancers before finding an empty enough spot on the floor. At first we sort of danced _near_ each other, but there was a change in the song and she shut her eyes, grinning to herself as she turned around, pressing her back to my front and she started moving her body to the music, as if she were in her own world. I placed my hands on her waist and moved in sync with her, wanting to feel whatever she was feeling.

My hands trailed up her sides as she slid her way, twisting and turning, down my body. I held in a groan—though there wasn't a need to, with the music so loud—as she slowly, ever so slowly, rose back up and rubbed against me. She turned to face me again, one eyebrow arched and a smirk in place on her lips. Her brown eyes appeared to be slightly hazy, but who was I to judge in my state? I wouldn't be surprised if my pupils were the size of saucers.

She threw her arms around my neck, placing her forehead against my chest as we swayed to the music.

"What's your name?" I spoke softly into her ear.

"Bella," she replied, looking up at me. "Yours?"

"Edward," I told her and she nodded before her concentration was given back to the music and our dancing.

We danced a few more songs before she started to fan herself and said she was going to get a drink and try to find her friend. I only nodded and left the dance floor moments after, readjusting myself before resuming my seat at the stool. When had dancing turned into vertical, dry humping? I wasn't sure…but I didn't mind it. I glanced down at my watch and the time read somewhere around three in the morning. I groaned, knowing I had to be at my parent's house sometime in the afternoon. Going there with a hangover probably wouldn't be a wise idea.

There was a sudden uproar on the dance floor as a new song played, clearly a very popular one but I wasn't too familiar with it. On the bar, a drink was placed down in front of me and I shook my head.

"I didn't order this," I told the bartender.

"No, but the brunette with the curls ordered it for you."

I looked in the direction he had pointed and saw the girl, Bella, waving before being lead away by her friend. I smiled and waved in return before drinking the shot quickly. I set the glass down and returned my gaze to her, watching as she skirted around the dance floor and towards the door. I didn't even have a chance to get her number.

It seemed like the opportune moment to leave, and to perhaps randomly bump into her outside. I stood from the bar, pushing my way through the gyrating dancers until I found Emmett dancing with a red headed girl, his hands on her waist as he held her hips to his.

"Em," I yelled loud enough for him to hear me over the music.

"What's up man?" He asked, tossing me a grin.

"I'm gonna head out, call me when you make it home."

"Already?" he asked.

"It's almost three in the morning," I shrugged, "Just call me."

"For sure, bro, see ya later!" He grinned once more before returning his focus to the girl he danced with. She threw her arms around his neck and started kissing him. I grimaced and slid away from them, quickly making my way to the exit.

I stepped outside, breathing in the cold, crisp fresh air as the wave of my drinks began to hit me; I felt dizzy. The cigarette I lit couldn't have helped matter either.

My eyes swept around the front of the club, searching for Bella and her friend. I saw them, with a tall, blonde male who was holding her friend's hand. Bella was shaking her head and gesturing towards the cab and the smaller one looked worried. After more of some sort of deliberation the friend and the man got into the taxi and shut the door.

Bella breathed out heavily, judging from the cloud that formed in front of her face from the cold air. When she spotted me, she caught my eyes and smiled, walking towards me slowly. I shoved my hands into my pocket as she neared, toying around with the gold butane lighter resting against my thigh.

"Hello stranger," she murmured, and there was a new twinkle to her eyes.

"Hey," I replied, tossing the cigarette to the side while unable to keep myself from smiling.

"Time to call it a night for you, too?" She asked.

I nodded, feeling the urge to yawn just then but I refrained.

"Did your friends leave you?"

"Alice and Jasper? No, I told them I'd take a cab home myself," she shrugged. "She's kind of protective over me, like a mother."

I chuckled at that; the petite girl seemed to be the one that would need protecting. I waved my hand, signaling for a cab. At least two passed by before I waved again.

"They're all kind of jerks," she spoke up.

"True," I responded as a cab slowed to a stop in front of us.

"You can take this one, I'll wait." She said.

"That would be the most un-chivalrous thing I could do," I told her, opening the door and moving out of the way so she could get in.

"And here I thought chivalry was dead," she murmured, smiling softly. "We'll share," she said, suddenly, after a brief moment of consideration. She got inside the cab and left the door open.

I was slightly opposed to it, but the more present side of me—the side really attracted to her—told me to get in. Who cared if she was a killer? Or if she was planning to skip out on the fare in the end?

She looked innocent enough, though.

"I cannot wait here," the driver said.

Her head popped up outside the door. "Come on and get in!" She urged.

I slid into the car, shutting the door as she told the driver her address and we took off.

I focused on the passing scenery, the tall buildings, the people walking—even though it was pretty late or early, depending on how you looked at it. This was the city that never slept, after all. I felt her eyes on me and turned to look at her. She was smiling.

"Do you go to the club by yourself a lot?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I wasn't alone, I was with a friend but he probably won't be leaving until the break of dawn."

"Oh," she said, the word dragging on for far too long.

"I'm not much of a club goer either, but he wanted to welcome me back home," I said, rambling for some reason unbeknownst to me. "What about you? Any special reason for your outing tonight?"

"Jasper, Alice's boyfriend, is back in town for good," she said, offhandedly. "She also won this design contest that she entered in and just wanted to celebrate a little." The driver then took a sharp turn and she fell against me, swearing as we collided.

"Sorry," I apologized.

"It's not you," she said. "God, I can barely sit myself up straight right now."

I glared at the driver when I saw him looking through the rear-view mirror.

"Could you drive a little better?" I said. He mumbled something under his breath but focused his eyes back on the road. I resisted the urge to snap at him as she sighed, still leaning on me.

A few minutes later we stopped outside of an apartment building, several stories high.

"We're here, ma'am. That will be 15.70," he told her.

She looked through her purse again, mumbling about the bills to herself. I watched as she pulled out two twenty's and passed them over.

"Two ten's, twenty—that should cover it," she said, pulling on the door handle to get out.

I waited, wondering if the cab driver was going to say anything about her drunken mistake with the cash, but it didn't appear he was.

"Thank you, for sharing the cab, Edward," she told me, smiling before she shut the door and went to the front of the building.

"Where to, sir?"

I paused, briefly, wondering what to do. I knew I wanted to get out the car and go with her, talk to her, exchange numbers or something. This little mix up also gave me an opportunity—and I'd take it.

I put my hand out, "Give me that extra twenty."

"Why? How do you know it isn't intended as a tip?" He claimed, his face formed into a look of innocence.

I glared at this man, shaking my head. I didn't want to let my words get the best of me. "Just give it to me."

He clenched his teeth but eventually put the bill back into my hand as I opened the door.

"I cannot wait here," he said, sounding very annoyed.

"Fuck, whatever," I muttered, getting out and slamming the door behind me.

I jogged into the building, not wanting to lose her anywhere inside. I spotted her waiting for the elevator and caught up just in time to get in with her. There were two other men inside, both looking a bit unsavory.

Her eyes opened wide at the sight of me and she smiled, "You live here too?"

I chuckled at the surprised look on her face. "No, I don't."

"Hmm," she hummed as the elevator started to move up

I didn't want to give her the money in the elevator, only to have her be mugged or something by the two men as soon as I left. I waited until the bell chimed again, signaling that we were at the seventh floor and she stepped out, I followed.

The men were just behind us and I furrowed my brow, putting my hand on the small of her back, "Where do you live?"

"13 F," she said, pointing in the direction of her apartment, drowsily. "Why?"

"There are some men; I'd just like to get you into your apartment safe."

"Chivalrous you are, indeed." She smiled.

I brought the bill out from my pocket, offering it to her. "You over-tipped the cab driver."

She bit her bottom lip, staring at the money. "I-I didn't realize…thank you," she said, taking the money into her hands as she began to walk towards her apartment. At the door, she fumbled around for her keys and I looked around for the men but they were gone from the hallway.

"All right then, I suppose I'll—"

"Do you want to come in?" She cut me off, something I normally hated, but I actually happy for it in this moment. "For some coffee, or something…I should repay you for giving me my money back."

"That's not necessary; I'm just a Good Samaritan."

She laughed, and my ears perked up at the sound, causing me to smile.

"It's the least I can do, and it will warm you—it's freezing out and you don't even have on a jacket," she noted, putting her key in the door and turning it. She pushed it open, stepping inside and motioned for me to do the same.

I teetered on the idea of whether or not to accept her offer before I stepped inside, throwing a little bit of caution to the wind. My parents would be home regardless of what time I showed up, and wasn't this what I wanted? A little bit of conversation? And I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to know how her lips felt against mine, how she would feel beneath me.

"I'm not a serial killer, or a rapist," she teased, shutting the door after me and locking it.

"Neither am I." I'm just a slightly horny and lonely bastard.

She grinned, "Good."

She flipped on some lights and went into the kitchen to make the coffee, I assumed.

It was a quaint place, but it seemed comfortable all the same. There was a yellow sectional sofa, a television, a coffee table, and if I wasn't mistaken there was a black cat curled up in the corner. The colors of the walls and furniture were playing tricks on my eyes, with the way they clashed but seemed awkwardly right together.

She came back into the living room, motioning for me to sit down as she shed herself of her jacket, and I took in the sight of her again—only in proper lighting this time.

I blinked and cleared my throat, averting my gaze to the blank television screen. "This is a nice place you have. It's very…cozy."

"Thanks. It's a struggle to still afford it, though," she said, truthfully, taking off the small heeled shoes she had on.

She sat next to me on the sofa, leaning into it and shutting her eyes. I followed in suit, the many shots crept upon me making my head feel light and airy and I wanted to mull in it.

My eyes flew open, feeling her hand on top of mine. Her eyes were still shut but her hand traveled further up my arm, I remained silent—unsure if there was even anything that I could say.

The cold never fazed me, I never got goose bumps as others did but when I felt her hand on my arm, they suddenly appeared beneath her touch. Her hand continued up until it reached my elbow, where the sleeves of my shirt were rolled back to. Her eyes opened and they locked with mine. I stared into hers, deeply, wondering what was going on in her head. I usually had such an easy time reading people but I saw nothing but a smirky little grin and her twinkling eyes.

"We shouldn't—we're not in the right state of mind," I said, contradicted my physical and mental feelings somehow.

"Does this not feel good?"

Her hand had moved to my thigh, and she rubbed the fabric of my jeans.

"It does," I muttered.

She grinned; rolling her eyes before undoing the button of her pants. She swung her leg over so that she was straddling me.

"When I was against you in the car," she started, her breath hot against my ear, "I felt this continuous electrifying shock—and it felt so good. I still feel it when I touch you." Her hands were on the buttons of my shirt, undoing them.

"And you said you weren't a rapist," I murmured, my hands going out to rest on her hips as I enjoyed the sight of her hands working busily.

"Are you not consenting?" She asked, looking at me through half-closed eyes.

"Oh, I am," I said, grinning at her.

"Then this seems very legal to me," she teased, leaning forward to seal her words off with a kiss.

I think I felt it then, that electrifying shock she spoke of, but I could just be drunk. Her lips were soft and warm against mine as I kissed her back, my eyes fluttering shut. She pushed back the button up shirt off my shoulders and I sat up to take it off fully.

"You're a layered man," she teased, lightly tugging at the bottom of my white undershirt. She didn't bother removing it; she instead focused now on the buttons of my jeans.

"I'm a lousy man—and you're taking advantage of me," I whispered, cupping a hand behind her neck and bringing her down to me to kiss her again.

"So let me," she said against my lips before kissing me back.

I let her. I hadn't even really tried stopping her.

She slid my zipper down before her hands went back to the hem of my shirt. She tugged on it and yanked it up over my head, tossing it next to us on the couch along with my other.

As our tongues collided, I felt more urgent than ever to see her body. My hands wandered up her jean clad thighs, up to the waist. I pushed on her hips lightly and she maneuvered herself off of me, standing yet still kissing, and managed to push her own jeans down and kick them to the side before she climbed back on top of me. My hand now moved freely up to her hot, wet center and I lightly rubbed her clit through the lace panties she wore. She groaned, kissing me deeper as her hips rocked against me.

I broke away from the kiss, looking into her eyes again—they were smiling me. I had to have her.

Her hands trailed up and down my chest, the electric, tingling feeling still present. And I wondered if it was from the buzz or if she could actually inflict such a feeling upon me. I swiftly removed her shirt, revealing that she had not been wearing a bra. I didn't think I could possibly become harder than I already was, but that just about did it. Holding onto her waist with my free hand I moved us so we were horizontally angled on the couch. It took a minute to get comfortable, but we did, and her hands tangled in my hair, her back arching as I pressed my finger against her harder.

She bit my bottom lip softly and I moaned, reaching up to grab one of her hands and relocate it to my pants. She giggled softly, tugging my pants down as far as she could before I shed myself of them.

"Your boxers too," she breathed, heavily.

I did as I was told as quickly as possible, standing and I grinning as she shimmied her way out of her underwear and tossed them to the floor. Even that looked sexy as hell. She placed her hands on my chest and pushed me a way so that I was sitting on the sofa, causing me to frown. The loss of contact was upsetting.

She climbed back on top of me, positioning herself right above my cock. I held my breath as she slowly lowered herself, eventually biting on my lower lip as she took her sweet fucking time, taking all of me inside. She gasped and tossed her head back when her ass was resting on my thighs.

A noise sounded from the kitchen—probably the coffee.

"Fuck it," we both said at the same time, causing each other to laugh.

"Come here," I tangled my hand in her hair, pulling slightly as I brought her lips back down to mine.

My hands were on her hips, guiding her in slow, steady rocking motions. It felt so good, she felt amazing. Each and every part of her. She pulled away from me again, and I grumbled my protest. She tossed her hair over her shoulder, placing her hands on my knees as she moved back and forth, using her own rhythm. Of its own accord, my hand cupped her breast, squeezing it before pinching the nipple.

"Mmm," she moaned. "That feels so good. Fuck me, Edward."

And I did. I flipped us over so she was beneath me again, thrusting in and out, our bodies clashing against each other in the most urgent way. I never would have imagined this happening when I first got to the nightclub, but I was definitely happy with the way things were turning out. This woman, intoxicated—but so was I—was an astonishing sight and she worked her body so well.

She was moaning beautifully, as I kept her wanting more and not knowing what would happen next. I moved fast, then slow, then fast, and excruciatingly slow. Our breaths were ragged as we moved together.

"Oh, Edward….God, Edward," she said, her legs wrapped around me tightly. She arched her back, panting as she let out a low, sexy moan that only a vixen such as herself could muster. The feel of her coming around me brought much of the same reaction out of me. I groaned, jutting my hips forward rapidly as I came and, in layman's terms, released my seed.

"Edward," she murmured my name, and it sounded as if she were smiling.

Rather than rest my full weight on her I readjusted us so we were lying side by side. My arms were wrapped around her and her head nestled into the crook of my neck. At first she laced it with kisses but she soon stopped, and from the pattern of her breathing, I couldn't tell if she had falling asleep or not.

"Edward," she said my name, again. I liked the sound of it coming from her mouth.

"Hmm?" I hummed, as she wigged around in my arms.

"Get up, I don't want to sleep on the couch all night," she told me, and I let go.

"Do you want me to leave?" I asked, opening my eyes and sitting up on the couch.

She smiled, teasingly at me as she stood from the couch, walking backwards in the direction of the hallway.

"That's up to you, really…but I will be awfully lonely in here…" she said, grinning before she turned around and continued down the hallway.

I stood from the couch and followed after her. When I entered the room-that was painted an interesting shade of violet, with red shutters blocking her windows-she was already under the sheets of her bed, and I wasted no time sliding in behind her, loving the more comfortable feeling it had, as opposed to the couch.

"Was this your intention when we first got into the cab?" I asked her, curiously.

She shook her head, "Not in the slightest, but I couldn't be any happier."

"You don't regret the fact that you don't even know me?"

"I know your name, and that's a start, Edward," she repeated, grinning. "I might begin to regret it, though, if you don't make love to me again."

Her hand reached between us, lightly caressing my cock.

"Anything for you," I murmured, burying my face in her hair as I pushed her legs apart, going for round two.

* * *

I woke up the following morning to the sound of an alarm going off. I sat up abruptly, trying to find the annoying device. It was her cell phone. I swiped to the side to shut the alarm off.

Looking further away, the light of the bathroom was on, as was the shower.

I ran my hand through my hair, the entire night coming back to me in such a rush that I almost didn't believe it. I had to, though, as it explained why I was in this unfamiliar apartment, in an unfamiliar bed—naked.

I pushed the covers back and went to my clothes that were still in the living room. Walking down the hall I prayed it that no one was there. Wishes do come true. I slipped into my clothes, tempted to make a cup of coffee—but would that be overstaying my welcome?. I didn't even know if she wanted me to be around when she got out of the shower so, I figured I would just leave—that would be better…right? Going back to the bedroom I picked up her cell phone, punching in my number before placing it back on the bed.

I put my shoes on and opened the door, leaving the apartment before I could talk myself into staying. I shut the door softly, telling myself this was for the best. Who wanted an awkward goodbye conversation, anyways? If she did want to see me, though, at least she would have my number. I hadn't even thought to call my phone with hers but now the ball was fully in her court. When it came down to it, I would probably never see that girl again in my life. New York was a big place; you don't usually run into the same people twice.

She probably would have preferred it that way, if she knew how horrible I was at relationships, apparently. That's what my last girlfriend said when she broke up with me, and I suppose she was right because I didn't falter, hearing the words—I didn't cry, I wasn't saddened. I was more…relieved than anything.

Once outside the building, I hailed another taxi. I was further downtown than I realized last night, and it would be a long journey to the Upper East Side. I leaned my head against the window and let my eyes flutter shut, though the only thing I saw was the image of her face.

* * *

_There_ you have it, this is my newest work. No fear, I still plan to continue "My Love on Sommer Isle" but this idea came up and the writing for it was flowing more freely. Please let me know what you're thinking, I do cherish each and every review. For more of my writings you can check my livejournal community (link in profile), and add me on my personal LJ, if you wish-I enjoy making new friends so I wouldn't mind. This will be in Edward's point of view, but I'm already thinking of writing one that coincides with this, in Bella's. Though, I don't want to tackle on too much. Does it interest you to have this in Edward's point of view? I look forward to hearing from you all! **I'd rather not go down the confusing route that makes me feel like not continuing when the story has nearly 200 hits and maybe five reviews, it doesn't make sense. I took a lot of time to write this, could you **_**spare**_** a ****minute**** to review and tell me what you think?**

Chams.


	2. It's in the Stars

**Disclaimer:** I have not and cannot become rich off of this. I am not Stephenie Meyer.

**Author's Note:** I'm rewriting. If you were a previous reader and wanted to see the story finished, try reading through the updates and if it's not altered too much in a way that you don't want to read it anymore, enjoy! Everything I previously had written has been lost in computer world, so the only way for me to complete it now is to come back…with a vengeance.

**Lyrics:** _Give me a reason to end this discussion, to break this tradition, to fold and divide. So let's not get carried, away with the process of elimination. I don't want to waste your time._ - Motion City Soundtrack, "Everything Is Alright"

**Chapter Two**

As soon as I told Emmett about what had happened, I immediately regretted my decision to do so. It was not common for me to have a one-night stand at all, but apparently he was _proud_ of me. That's Emmett McCarty for you, though—outrageous. It was nearing the middle of October, only a month having gone by since the incident. After leaving her apartment, I was kind of hoping she would give me a call…but she never did.

Maybe I should have been more of a gentleman and left after returning her money; gone about things in a proper way. My thoughts were muddled by the alcohol and also by the sight of her. The picture of her in naked beneath me remained in my mind still and I couldn't shake it. A part of me didn't want to let go though, either. I didn't even know her last name but I so desperately wanted to. Doing a Facebook search for Isabella hadn't turned up any promising results. Well, maybe it did, but I didn't fill like searching through the 2,058 possibilities. How many Isabella's could there be in my surrounding area?

To make matters worse, I didn't know how to find her, the apartment buildings in downtown New York all looked distinctly familiar, so I couldn't be too sure which she lived in. I should have called my cell from hers, but I hadn't been thinking clearly that morning.

"They say it's impossible to eat six saltine crackers in sixty seconds," Emmett said, sitting on the white, leather couch next to me in my living room.

I rolled my eyes; it was such a typical thing for him to say. I was used to him and his humor from early on in life. We were neighbors from kindergarten throughout high school and roommates for a few years in college, so obviously we'd formed a natural bond, and for the most part, he was my brother.

"_You_ can eat anything," I replied, "though the theory sounds correct."

He thought about that for a moment before nodding his agreement. "Do you want to make a friendly wager?"

I shrugged, "How much?"

"Forty bucks says I can."

Six saltine crackers in sixty seconds? I pushed myself up from the couch and went into the kitchen, opening the pantry to seek out the saltiest crackers I had. He had to know it really was impossible, though, didn't he? Or did he just want to give me forty dollars?

He came to join me in the kitchen, grinning at the box as I took out a pack and slid six crackers out onto the counter. They just looked salty, flaky, and dry—he'd never be able to do it.

"Shake on it," I said, extending my hand. "Last time you didn't give me my winnings because we didn't _shake_, you cheater."

He shook my hand before gesturing to my watch, "On your call."

"Okay…" I paused, waiting for sign of the next tick before telling him to go.

He picked up the first cracker and chomped it down, followed by the second, and then the third. By the fourth, I could see in his eyes that it was hurting to swallow, but he continued on, shoving the fifth into his mouth, not finishing it completely before he popped in the sixth.

"It doesn't count if you don't swallow them!" I slammed my hand against the counter top and pointed at him.

My cell phone began to ring and I took it out of my front pocket, watching as Emmett's eyes opened wide and all of a sudden tiny cracker flakes flew out everywhere.

I laughed rather loudly as he rushed to the refrigerator, opening the door to grab a carton of orange juice.

"Clean that shit up too, Emmett!"

I pressed the talk button on the phone, not recognizing the number. I suppressed my laughter as best I could.

"Cullen." I answered.

There was silence.

"Hello?" I repeated. "If this is a telemarketer, I'm not interested…I'm hanging up now."

"No! D-Don't hang up," a small voice said.

I frowned, they sounded weak, almost as if they were struggling to even speak.

"Well, then…how can I help you?" I asked.

"Is this Edward? _Edward_ Cullen?"

"Yes, and who is this?"

"Isabella Swan," she said, pausing before she continued. "Bella…you might not even remember me but we met about a month or so ago…?"

Could she really be calling me at this very moment? After a month of nothing but her plaguing my thoughts? Why was she calling was the more appropriate question. She didn't sound as if she even wanted to talk, almost as if she were ashamed or embarrassed about what happened. I could understand that, but if so, why was she calling at all?

"Hello?" she said, after I was silent for too long. "Are you still there?"

"I'm here, hi Bella. How are you?"

"I'm…surviving, and yourself?"

"Pretty good…what finally made you decide to call?" I asked, curiously.

"I—uhm, well…you left your lighter…"

Emmett caught my attention as he slapped forty dollars down in front of me, grumbling to himself before going back into the living room. A small laugh escaped from my lips.

"Is this a bad time? Are you busy?"

"No, not at all. It's just a lighter, though…it didn't really have any sentimental value to it." It seemed like a strange reason to call me for…especially after a month.

She gave a small chuckle. "I'm sorry, that was lame. Look, Edward, I was really calling to see if you wanted to meet me somewhere. Maybe we could go to a coffee shop or take a stroll through a park…anything, I just need to talk to you," she said.

"I suppose coffee would be nice, since we never got to have a cup that night…" I trailed off, kind of shocked at my own cockiness. "When do you want to meet?"

"Are you available tomorrow?"

"Definitely," I breathed.

"Okay, how about tomorrow around three—at the shop on 57th and Grand?"

"Sounds good…I will see you there, Isabella," I smiled to myself

"See you, Edward," she replied just before the line hung up.

I slid my phone back into my pants, turning around and leaning against the counter.

"Who was that?" Emmett asked.

"Bella, the girl I was told you about," I explained briefly.

"She finally called, huh? You're all smiles and shit, dude. That's weird."

I hadn't even realized I was still smiling until he said something. I shook my head, walking away, "I'll be in the music room."

"Writing love ballads?"

"Fuck you, McCarty." Was the last thing I said to him before closing the door.

I couldn't figure out what this meant…maybe she had been thinking about me, maybe she couldn't get me out of her head either? Perhaps she was interested in me…maybe she wanted to date. Or, what if she just wanted to return my lighter? That would be a devastating turn on events. It was to be expected though, with the way I just up and left while she was in the shower. I don't think I could except any decency out of this.

Fuck what if she wanted to tell me she had some sort of STD? Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I walked out onto the balcony that was connected to the music room—it wrapped around the entire condo—and lit a cigarette.

I was thinking too much into this now.

My eyes landed on the white, grand piano in the middle of the music room. It was one of my favorite places to be—the view of the city I saw when sitting on the bench was spectacular. It was my most prized of all instruments—perfect, pristine, and untouchable by non-delicate hands. When handling the piano or just being around it you had to have a gentle nature, thus Emmett was rarely allowed close to it. He loved to horse around too much—and I adored my piano too much to have it in pieces.

I'm best at the piano, but I also know how to play the guitar, bass, drums, flute (I'm not too good at that particular instrument), the violin and a few more. My parents had me enrolled in every type of music class since they noticed my particular liking to it. I liked it too, because they weren't forcing me onto all of them, I was usually the one to ask to have lessons for a new instrument.

Growing up, my schedules were always so jam-packed with music, language, arts, and sports. Apparently well-rounded children were more prone to receiving scholarships and such. Though, I didn't need a scholarship to get into college, my grades were still impeccable.

Recently my inspiration had been coming in spurts, which was okay because I hadn't been assigned any composing jobs recently. I could relax and let the music flow through me, write something that I wanted to write, for my own benefit. I tossed my cigarette into the ashtray set up outside and walked back into the room. As usual, music always found a way to take my mind away. Sitting down at the piano bench I flexed my fingers before placing them on the keys. I didn't know what I was going to play, but this was the one place that I could say and express whatever and no one would judge. I didn't have to think or worry over what keys I would press next, it just came naturally and it calmed me so much. I was content to just sitting there all evening and playing out my heart's desire until it was time to meet with Isabella Swan.

* * *

When three o'clock came rolling around the following day, I was already at the coffee shop on 57th and Grand with no sign of Bella in sight. I took the liberty of ordering myself a cup of java and hot chocolate for her, as well as two scones with probably too much powdered sugar, but that's how I preferred them. Hopefully she wouldn't mind. I had a horrible sweet tooth.

I looked up every single time the bell chimed until finally, it was her. I smiled and waved her over, standing up to greet her. I paused just as I stood unsure of what to do next Hug her? Kiss her on the cheek? Pull out her chair? Oh, this was going to be awkward.

"Hi, Edward," she greeted; waving politely as she quickly took her seat.

"Hello," I replied. I felt stupid, but I sat back down, sliding her cup towards her. "It's a hot chocolate…I wasn't sure how you took your coffee, so I figured I'd play it safe."

"Thanks, you didn't have to though, but thanks."

"Is hot chocolate okay?"

She nodded, "My favorite. I'm also partially frozen right now, so this should help to thaw me out."

I grinned before taking a drink from my own cup, "So, how have you been?"

"Eh, a little sick to be honest with you," she admitted, shrugging slightly.

"Ah, is it the flu?" I asked, trying to sound innocent. As though I hadn't been thinking that she was meeting me to admit to some type of…something she may have caught that was causing her to feel sick. I pushed the thoughts to the back of my head—I would wait for her to tell me whatever she had to say.

She just shook her head, but didn't elaborate. She began to dig around into her purse for something, before producing my lighter and passing it to me. I took the gold, square block into my hands, my finger prints were practically indented into it, and it fit so perfectly.

"Smoking is bad for you," she chided.

"I've been trying to quit…for a couple of year," I trailed off slightly, turning the lighter over in my palm to look at my last name engraved on the back.

She grinned, "Well, that's a nice lighter and I figured you'd want it back. I'd give you your undershirt but I've been using it as pajamas, sorry."

"I'm sure that's a good use for it, and it probably looks a lot better on you," I smiled and she blushed.

"Do you want to take a walk and enjoy these hot drinks out in the cold?" She offered, putting the strap of her purse back onto her shoulder.

"Sure, let me grab a bag for these scones really quick," I told her. I got up from my seat and went to the front counter, asking for a bag which they promptly handed over. Back at the table, I slid the scones into it and picked up my drink. She loosened up her scarf a little before smiling up at me.

"Are you ready?"

I nodded and she led the way to the exit. We began walking; I followed her lead, unsure of where we would go.

"So," she paused, seemingly fishing around for some sort of casual conversation, "what is it that you do?"

"I just finished my last year at college and now I'm working as a…composer, of sorts."

"You write music?" She asked, and I nodded. "That's beautiful."

"It can be…other times it's a nightmare. What about you?"

"I graduated this summer from culinary school, and now I'm working full-time as a waitress to finish paying off loans." She frowned, looking down at the ground, "It really pales in comparison to what you're probably doing."

I shrugged my shoulders, "You have to start somewhere though, right?"

"True…I'd like to have my own catering business someday," she said.

"How's your cooking?"

"I'm better than Emeril," she announced, proudly. "And I put Rachel Ray's thirty minute meals to shame."

"Perhaps we'll have to put your cooking skills to the test," I countered, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Select a full course meal from anywhere and I can cook it up for you," she sounded intrigued by the challenge. She would probably get along with Emmett.

"Is that so?" She nodded confidently. "If you're so talented, why aren't you a chef already?"

Her smile faltered before she shrugged again and I hoped I hadn't offended her.

"It's hard, I guess…I don't know, there aren't very many women chefs in this town, especially ones that have just graduated. Is it lame to say people are still sexist?"

"Not lame; it's the truth, sadly."

"The only place a woman has the right to cook is at home," she said, sounding a little detached. "That's the exact type of stereotype I was trying to get away from, though."

"My best friend is an investor, maybe if you win him over with your cooking he can help you out," I suggested.

I don't know what made me say it, but it was the truth. Emmett liked investing in new ideas, and they usually always turned out good in the end.

"I couldn't," she shook her head. "How did you get to become a composer?" She changed the subject.

It was my turn to shrug. "Someone heard me playing when I was at Julliard—the college division, for two years, and then my teacher at NYU knew a lot of people."

"You went to _Julliard_?" She asked, shocked.

I ran a hand through my hair and nodded, grinning.

"Shut up."

"I did, honestly. I got the trademark Julliard tattoo on my hip bone to prove it," I joked.

"I didn't see any tattoo," she muttered quietly to herself.

I bit back a smile at that, unsure if she had intended for me to hear it or not.

"Where are we headed, exactly?" I asked after a brief moment of silence.

"I was going back to my apartment, we can talk there."

"Aren't we talking now?"

"Yes, but we're too much out in the open…I mean…well, just come on."

She was confusing me more and more as the seconds went on, but it was such a good feeling to have. Not knowing what would happen next, she kept me on my toes. Emmett did as well, but I never felt any faint flutters in my chest when _he_ was leading me somewhere—other than the rapid thumping of my heart, wondering what type of trouble he would get us into.

I followed her to the semi-familiar apartment building which was located somewhere entirely different than what I recalled. We rode the elevator up to the seventh floor, which I remembered, and walked to her apartment door.

She quickly took out her keys, opened the door and we both went inside. It was just as I remembered it. No too small, big enough for her to live in comfortably, and she had it decorated quite nicely; it would have surely earned my mother's approval.

"Make yourself comfortable," she said as she began to take off her scarf, followed by her gloves and then her jacket.

I was clad in only a thin sweater; my fingers were left subject to the harsh cold, as was my neck. I never got sick and the cold really didn't faze me. I couldn't stand the heat, though.

I sat on the couch, feeling awkward at the remembrance of what had happened the last time I was on it. Should I bring it up? Were we even going to talk about it? What was the point of us meeting after all?

She came to sit next to me, flipping on the TV before leaning back into the sofa.

"Edward," she breathed, quietly.

I turned to look at her, and her eyes were already on mine.

"Yes? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine; I think…I mean—we need to talk."

She'd said it again. Weren't we already talking?

"Is it about that night?" I asked, knowing she knew what I meant. She nodded, "I've been thinking about it a lot, too, Bella. To tell you the truth you've been sort of plaguing my thoughts ever since. I couldn't really get you out of my head," I laughed, meekly.

I reached out my hand to cup her cheek, and she leaned into it, her eyes fluttering shut.

"I'm glad I left my lighter, I'm glad you called, I'm glad-"

"Edward, I'm pregnant."

* * *

If you read before, you knew this was coming and if not…surprise! I know most of you can't review again but don't hesitate to send me a PM if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions! Most things here are the same, slight alterations took place (especially the cliffhanger ending), more to come tomorrow, probably. (: See you around!

xo chams


	3. Rendered Speechless

**Disclaimer: **I own this version of the characters, but Stephenie Meyer is the original.

**Author's Note: **Thank you to those of you that reviewed! And to those of you that couldn't and took the time to PM me, I appreciate it! I special thank you to **H.J. Lovers** because without her I don't think I would have ever gotten around to doing this. Thank you, thank you, thank you dearie! This chapter, as will all chapters may be because I'm too lazy, will not have a beta. All mistakes are mine, cause it's exhausting searching for a beta these days.

"_I've taken, like, three pregnancy tests and I am for shizz up the spout." - Juno_

**Chapter Three**

"_Edward, I'm Pregnant._"

Her words echoed throughout my mind, and my mouth shut immediately. I didn't know what to say. What could I say? Even she was remaining speechless. She sat there, her eyes still shut tightly, and moved away from me on the sofa. She buried her face in her hands and let out a sob. I reached out a hand, wanting to console her, but I never reached her. My hand fell limply onto the couch and I licked my suddenly dry lips, shaking my head softly. She was pregnant. _Pregnant_.

How? Well, yes we had sex but…fuck! No! We hadn't even used a condom. It obviously hadn't occurred to me at the time. It was safe to say that my brain hadn't been doing the majority of thinking that night. I didn't even worry about it afterwards, because weren't girls supposed to be on birth control? All of the women I had ever dated in the past took those God saving little pills, it was something I must have taken for granted.

_Pregnant. _As in, she was going to be a mother and I…no. I couldn't be a dad…I wasn't ready for that. I'm only twenty-four. I honestly had not planned on having children for quite some time in my life. Maybe when I was like thirty—that sounded reasonable…but now? Shit. I don't even know how to change a diaper.

I should apologize, right? That would be the right thing to do. Neither of us had been rational about much that night.

I don't even know how long the silence had lingered between us, but it must have been quite some time because when she looked at me, her face a cherry shade of red from crying, she appeared angry.

"Aren't you going to say something? Anything?" Her lower lip was trembling, and she brought it behind her teeth, biting down as she looked at me pleadingly.

"Is—is it mine?"

As soon as the words left my mouth, I wanted to take them back.

The look on her face was a jumble of emotions—shock, awe, hurt, anger, just to name a few.

"What?" She asked through gritted teeth. She stood from the couch and looked down at me, seething. "What the _fuck_ did you just ask me? Are you implying that I'm some kind of whore? That I fuck every guy I share a cab with? Huh? Is that what you're saying, Edward? God, I knew I shouldn't have even told you!"

I ran a hand through my hair, though I would have preferred to slap myself in the face at this moment.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, for a lack of anything better to say. "I know who I think you are, who I presume you to be and it's not that, I swear. But…I really know nothing about you."

"That's exactly my point. That's why this entire situation is so fucked up. I've only ever slept with two men…and you're the second. Don't worry; there's been an entire year between the both of you." She added the last part sarcastically, wiping at her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. "I should have been taking the pill. I don't know what came over me it just…you were…and I was…" she trailed off, letting out a heavy, shaky breath. "A baby? I don't know what to do."

The pleading look was back in her eyes—she looked miserable. I didn't know it was possible to feel worse than I already did. It pained me to see her in such a state. I grabbed her hand gently and pulled her back down onto the couch before cupping her face in both of my hands. Her eyes were downcast, looking at the fibers of the vibrant yellow sofa beneath us.

"Look at me, Bella," I asked softly.

She shook her head in response.

I curled a finger under her chin and lifted her head up so she had no choice.

"It's okay, Bella. It's okay," I attempted to be comforting. I was still trying to convince myself of the same thing. Was it okay? I knew nothing about her…and she was pregnant with my child. It was kind of relieving, to hear she had only been with two men—a part of me really wanted to know who the first was and what exactly had caused her to not be with him but that was neither here nor there at the moment. Anyways, I had no reason to doubt her, no reason to believe she would lie to me. She couldn't have known much about me either.

"Edward, I can't afford to have this baby. I can barely keep up with the rent in this apartment. I had to go to the doctor, to make sure, and that appointment alone put me near the end of my savings. I have so many loans, so many bills; I don't think I can have this baby." She was crying again, and I pulled her against me, rubbing her back.

"I wouldn't feel right making this kind of decision for you. If you decide to keep it, I would help you—it's my child, too." I explained.

"I just wanted to get rid of it…but Alice said I had to tell you first—that you had a right to know…"

"So you weren't even going to call me before making your decision?" I asked.

In hindsight, it was hard to think how I would have felt if she never would have told me. I would have just carried on living my life with no worries but I knew now…and I wasn't even sure what I wanted. Did I want to be a dad?

"I didn't want to bring any stress into your life…it's not something you really need to worry about."

I arched an eyebrow, "Yes it is…it's my kid, too."

She shook her head, pushing away from me.

"It's my child and my body."

I sighed, "It's our child, Bella…and your body, yes. So…ultimately the decision is up to you. I can't force you to do anything, I would never."

"You wouldn't hate me if I had an abortion?"

I contemplated her question. What would my life with a son or daughter be like? What would my life be like knowing that I _should_ have had a son or a daughter? The immediate thought of killing something that belonged to the both of us seemed wrong, but…girls went through this all the time, right? Plus it had only been a month…how much could have possible developed in a month?

"No, I wouldn't hate you, Bella."

"You don't even know me and I don't know you—how do you know that it would work out?"

"I don't know that, for sure. I don't even know how to try to make something like this work, but we could try. Listen, don't even worry about that right now, okay? Just think about what you really want…and I'll support whatever decision you make." My left hand moved to rest on top of her flat stomach. It was impossible that anything larger than my thumb was inside of her already, but the gesture made her laugh nonetheless.

She smiled, sniffling a little. "Thank you, Edward."

"You're welcome, Bella. I mean it, the decision is up to you—but whatever you decide I'd like for you to tell me. Even if you're going to have an abortion, I will go with you to the clinic," I told her, truthfully.

She chewed sullenly on her bottom lip, probably to keep from crying anymore.

"You're too kind. How are you still on the market?" She asked, and then her eyes opened wide. "You're not dating anyone are you!? Oh God, Oh God!"

"No, No, calm down. I'm single as can be. Haven't dated anyone in over two years," I admitted.

"You're pulling my leg," she said, cheekily.

"I'm not pulling anything. Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Look at you! You're fucking gorgeous, Edward Cullen! Any woman would be crazy to just pass you by," she explained to me.

I had been called handsome and attractive by many women, but I usually brushed it off; however, when she said that it made me smile.

"Hmm. If I'm gorgeous, what does that make you?"

"Average," she harrumphed.

I scoffed, and then laughed. "Average? If I'm gorgeous, you're astonishing."

"You're just saying that," she accused.

"Am I? What would I say it for, what am I trying to coax you into?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

She swatted at my arm, playfully.

"Okay, okay. Well I have to work the night shift tonight; I need to be at the restaurant by five."

"They have you working the night shift?" I instantly hated her job.

She shrugged, "It's easier. Look, I'll call you when I make my decision, all right?"

"Okay," I agreed, getting up from the couch just as she did. She walked me to the door and I lingered for a moment, unsure of how to say goodbye. "No pressure, no nothing. Do what you truly feel is right, Bella." I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her to me, softly.

As I pulled away, I placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Don't forget to call me," I whispered before releasing her.

"I won't," she promised, waving as I backed up and then turned down the hallway.

I breathed deeply, attempting to take all that had just happened in as I waited for the elevator, wanting to keep up composure while I was out in public. On the inside I was caged in a padded room, free to run around and throw myself at the walls screaming 'WHAT THE FUCK'.

The elevator bell chimed and I looked up, taking a step back when I saw that someone was exiting the elevator, "Sorry," I apologized.

A tall blonde girl with shimmering eyes the breathtaking color of violets smiled back at me. "It's not a problem," she assured me, tossing a wink in my direction before walking down the hall I had just come from.

I shook my head and stepped onto the elevator, leaning against the wall as the doors shut and took me to the first level. I walked outside as quickly as I could and immediately pulled out my cell phone.

_What the fuck?_ I thought to myself as I walked. My eyes were focused on the sight of a woman, holding one child's hand while pushing a stroller with the other. What put the icing on the cake was the fact that she had another on the way, judging from the bump in her mid-section.

I shook my head as I waited at the end of the sidewalk for the signal to change to walk. It changed and I crossed, a man walked by, his daughter resting comfortable on his shoulders with a toothless grin on her face.

Was this national flaunt your kid day or something? Were there really even that many children in this city? I hadn't ever noticed before.

I looked down at the cell phone in my hand and punched in Emmett's number. I needed to talk to someone about it, and fast. It rang, and rang, and rang, and I got his voicemail.

"Emmett fucking McCarty if you're screening my call just to play Rock Band, so help me God, I am going to curb stomp the shit out of your Xbox. I need you to be at my apartment in twenty minutes. If you're not at mine, I'll be at yours—this is pretty fucking urgent."

I stopped walking for a moment, taking in my surroundings. Where the hell was my car? As if this couldn't get any worse, I had walked in the wrong direction. I had to go back to the café where we met.

This day went nothing like I thought it would.

* * *

Boom. How's that for a speedy update? Well, it's easy since I'm still just tweaking the chapters at this point. Nothing truly plot altering will occur for another chapter or two. To my new readers, hello! I hope you're enjoying it (: I will have another chapter up relatively soon…I've got the worst allergies, ever, and I'm taking the day off from work tomorrow, so maybe then! Keeps your eyes on the look out.

Xo chams


	4. Life Altering Moments

**Disclaimer: **Stephenie Meyer is the wealthy one.

**Author's Note: **Thank you to all that reviewed and PM'd! All typos are mine. And I couldn't find a good quote this time around…sue me.

**Chapter Four**

Emmett and I sat opposite each other at my dining room table. He looked at me with an incredulous expression after I had just told him everything that happened.

"I'm pretty sure they taught us to use condoms in like, the fifth grade, dude."

I stared at him, blankly.

"Okay…so, where do you stand on all of this?"

"I don't really know. I can't picture myself being a father, it's strange. I do like her, though, but I don't know about being connected with a virtual stranger for the rest of my life. I also don't think its right to kill it, but…it's not really like…killing, is it? She can't be more than four…maybe five weeks along."

He shrugged his shoulder lightly. "It has developed its own heartbeat at this point. In a couple of weeks it will form eyes, ears, a nose…arms and even tiny little legs." He leaned back in his chair, spinning the cap of his water bottle on top of the table. "Look, you have to be one hundred percent sure of your answer. This isn't something you can go back on once a decision has been made. Not in any legal or humane way."

He actually sounded as if he'd been in this situation before, and that thought scared me.

"How do you know all of this?"

He shrugged again. "School. I learned a lot more than you give me credit for."

"A lot of useless junk."

"It's not useless to you now, is it?"

Reluctantly, I shut my mouth.

"That's what I thought. Anyways, she's probably been throwing up every morning. You should…be there to help out, hold her hair back or something," he offered. "I'm not sure."

"I think I should keep my distance until she makes her decision," I told him. "I left the ball completely in her court."

"True, true. Whichever, help her out how you can, you know? Don't be a bastard."

I shook my head, "I'm not the type of man to do that."

Just then, Emmett erupted with laughter.

"What, what is it?"

"What do you think Esme and Carlisle will say when they hear? Esme swears you're afraid of women and I bet Carlisle didn't think you had it in you!"

I lunged across the table and punched Emmett in the arm and thus, an intense wrestling match began and managed to distract me from the swirling array of answerless problems for a little while.

* * *

About a week had gone by and I still hadn't heard from Bella. I was at home, currently, with absolutely nothing to do as I sat in front of my desktop computer. I had watched a couple of decent piano solo's on YouTube before curiosity got the better of me and I signed in to my Facebook account. I didn't use this social networking site very often, but I did have one. It was good for keeping in touch with family and friends, without having to verbally get stuck in awkward conversations with them.

After logging in I stared at my News Feed, looking at the random posts from people I had associated with at one point or another.

**Eric Yorkie**

_Marriage has eight letters…but so does 'Fuck That'._

That just about summed up the reason I rarely used this website—it was filled with useless random ranting for the most part. I noticed a notification showing and clicked on it, rolling my eyes immediately after reading it.

**Emmett McCarty **posted on your wall.

_I'm not going to say you're stupid. You are, but I won't say it._

That guy was a prick.

I used the search field to find who I was looking for, this time knowing that she went by Bella rather than Isabella. Bella Marie Swan was the first that came up—and I'd recognize those chocolate eyes in the profile picture from anywhere. I clicked on it and was immediately taken to her page. Unfortunately most of it was set to private—though mine was the same—and all I could see was that she had been born in September, she had graduated from some place called Forks High School in 2008, and that she was single. There were a couple of things on there that she had 'Liked', most of them were surprising to see, but I felt I could relate. She liked TV shows like 'Game of Thrones' and 'Dexter', and I was beyond happy that 'Keeping up with the Kardashians' hadn't made her list. Most of her pictures were private, except for a few profile pictures.

The first one, the one that made me immediately recognize it was her, was a picture of her, in a park somewhere. It was a close up of her face, but grass and trees could be seen in the background. She was holding a large sunflower that covered one eye, and smiling sweetly. The way the sun hit her face made her visible eye appear even brighter, and a few freckles stood out where they were sprinkled across her nose. The caption read 'Courtesy of Angela Weber'. I could only assume it was the person who had taken the picture.

I kept myself busy for longer than I should have staring at her pictures. I even went so far as to find her friend named Alice—Alice Brandon—whose page was completely public. She had a lot of pictures available to view, and I looked through them, stopping only when I could find Bella in it.

I was Facebook creeping.

"You should just add her."

I nearly jumped out of my chair at the voice behind me, startled.

"Holy Fuck, Emmett! Give me my key back," I hissed, minimizing the page.

"Are you breaking up with me baby?" He joked, now standing beside me with a bag of Skittles in his hand. He popped a few in his mouth before taking over the mouse and opening the page. "So this is her? She's cute, dude."

He pressed the back arrow until he was on her page. I had moved my chair over a little, and was preoccupied with making sure his hands weren't covered in melted candy as he made a few clicks of the mouse.

"There…now wait to see if she accepts your friend request."

"What the hell, no. She's going to think I'm stalking her or something," I shook my head, pushing his hand out of the way.

"Relax—that's probably the least of her worries right now." He leaned forward and shut the screen to the computer off. "We're supposed to be at your parents place by three."

I had completely forgotten we said we'd come by today. I was still in my pajama bottoms and t-shirt.

"I have to get dressed, first. Stay off my computer," I warned before getting up and going into my bedroom. I put on a pair of dark blue jeans and a button up shirt quickly and grabbed my cell phone from the nightstand.

"Are you driving?" He asked when I walked into the living room.

"Sure, let's head out before we're late…you know how Esme gets."

"Oh, yeah," he said, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

"You're a disgusting man, Emmett."

"I like to keep my options open. I'm not the one who is smitten after one night with a girl," he said.

"I'm not smitten," I defended myself. "I like her, that's the only conclusion I can come to."

"That's a real shame, bro," he said, shaking his head.

"Well we can't all be man whores like you, now can we?"

"We can! And that's the problem; you just won't embrace your inner slut," he lectured.

"Emmett, you don't even know how disturbing most things you say are," I sighed, making sure I had my keys in my pocket as we headed towards the door. "And keep your paws off my mother."

* * *

The drive to South Hampton had gotten relatively short over the years for us. Emmett had accompanied me on the trips there since college—he was the second son that my parents were never able to have. If my mother could have it her way, she would have a helicopter pick us up and fly us over so we'd be there within forty-five minutes, but I preferred to drive. It was only a couple of hours. I drove up the dirt driveway in my silver Audi and parked just in front of the house. We weren't even out of the car and the front door was already opening, revealing my mother with a bright smile on her face, both hands waving. She was down the steps by the time we had managed to exit the vehicle.

I heard my mother gushing over how Emmett must have been working out religiously since the last time she had seen him. He made a show of flexing his muscles before wrapping his arms around her in a bear hug, lifting her effortlessly off the ground.

As soon as she was back on her feet, she came to where I stood, leaning against the car. I hugged her and she squeezed me tightly, ruffling the hairs at the nape of my neck. I kissed her on the cheek just before she let go.

"It's been far too long, honey," she chided, slipping her hand through my arm as we all walked slowly up the steps to the front door.

"I saw you a few days after I got home," I reminded her.

"I know that, but it was so hard having you all the way on the other side of the country for such a long time," she said. "We were thrilled for your work, of course, but you're my only baby."

"Ouch, Esme—that hurts," Joked Emmett as he shut the door behind us.

"Emmett, you know I love you too," she said, turning to grin at him over her shoulder.

My mom always meant well—she was a very nurturing and loving woman, but she could be caught in her ways sometimes, just like my father.

"Where's dad?" I asked, changing the subject and looking around the vacant foyer quizzically.

"He's in his study on a conference call, he'll be down in a few minutes," she told me, freeing her hand from my arm as she walked towards the kitchen. "I made my special Apple Pie, just for you Emmett." She added.

"Oh, how I love you, Esme," he grinned cheekily, tossing me a wink before following after my mother. I rolled my eyes, wishing there was something hard and unbreakable in the room for me to throw at him. Instead, I grabbed onto the hand railing and made my way up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

I went down the familiar hall, doing my best not to look at the silly pictures of myself that lined the wall, until I reached the double doors that led to the office. I knocked lightly on it twice before pushing the doors open, peeking my head in first, before stepping all the way through to my father's office.

He held a finger up to me and motioned for me to take a seat as he continued talking on the phone.

"No, that's impossible. We can't merge the Western chain with the South Asian chain, it just doesn't make any sense, Daniel," he said, a frustrated look on his face as he shook his head.

It was amazing, even to me, that through all the stress and hard work he put into his job, there was not one wrinkle on his face, nor a gray hair on his head.

"They're two entirely different products. Rethink your ideas and get back to me sometime tomorrow—my cell is off limits the rest of the night." And with that he set the office phone down and breathed deeply. He ran a hand through his blonde locks before looking at me, a warm smile on his face. "Hey, Edward, glad to see you again," he said, walking around his desk. He placed his hand on my shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. He wasn't overly affectionate like mom.

"I'll get up and visit more regularly, I promise. I'm just getting adjusted back to life in this city," I told him. An image of Bella's face flickered in my mind. Oh, and there was _that_ too. How was I supposed to go about bringing all of that up? I didn't feel it would be wise to even bring it up until she had given me her answer.

"Listen, I've been meaning to talk to you about the business. There's and opening for a—"

I shook my head, cutting him off before he got into his stride, "Dad, please don't."

He sighed. He was always trying to get me to work for him—to someday take over his position as owner of the multimillion dollar Cullen corporation. I couldn't do that, though; I loved writing music entirely too much. It was my true passion in life. Emmett was the business man, not me.

"All right, I just figured I'd give it another shot," he laughed lightly "…you know I'm always proud of you, son."

Until you find out I impregnated a stranger.

The compliment made me feel rather uneasy. I was so used to having my parents' approval and acceptance of everything I did. I already felt as if I were lying to them, hiding something as big as this but the last thing I wanted was for my father to start asking questions and jumping to my defense. I wouldn't put it past him to suggest paying for the abortion himself, even though I had more than enough funds to do so—if that's what it came down to.

"Shall we go down stairs?" He asked.

I stood from the seat, "Yes, we can't leave Emmett alone around mom for too long."

He chuckled at this. Emmett was too flirty for his own good and was always throwing snide remarks at me about my mother, about how nice she looked, and if he could get her cell phone number. I made a point of never giving it to him, though I figured he might already have it. He was the first person she would call if she couldn't get in touch with me.

Once down stairs, we found Emmett sitting on a stool near one of the raised countertops, gobbling down a bowl of apple pie and vanilla ice cream. I might have known.

"Would you like some, dear?" Esme asked.

"I'll have a little," I said, taking a seat on the stool next to Emmett.

"So, Edward," Esme said as she set the bowl down in front of me with just the right amount of food in it. She'd definitely learned what I meant by _a little_ over the years. I'd been such a picky child. "What is with this girl Emmett was telling me about? The one you've been seeing?"

My jaw clenched and I shot a death glare at Emmett who made a point of covering his face by bringing the bowl up and slurping up the ice cream that had melted. He would definitely be hearing—or feeling, rather—more from me on the way home. Warm, baked desert was enough to make this hulk of a man squeal all the dirty little secrets he knew. I eyed him carefully, wondering just how much he had said.

"You didn't tell me about this, son," Carlisle chimed in, handing a glass of wine to Esme.

I sighed, "Her name is Bella."

"_Beautiful_, that's wonderful, Edward!" Esme all but exclaimed. "Which family is she from? Any that we're familiar with?"

I had only said her name and already she was growing ecstatic and questioning what _family_ she was from. I really had not wanted to have this conversation. I suppose they had it in their minds that I would date and eventually marry someone of the same stature as us. I did not want to call them shallow, but both of my parents had informed me I had to be careful when dealing with anyone that wasn't from our same social background—as it was easy to get fooled. I considered myself to be a rather good judge of character, though, so that had never mattered to me.

"I don't think so, no. It's still rather new, though, so I'd rather not talk too much about it."

"Oh, Carlisle, how sweet is that? Edward, you'll have to bring her by sometime," Esme said.

That would definitely prove to be an awkward conversation with Bella, and I really couldn't say she would be open to it. Social standing aside, I'm sure my parents would still like her. She was an intelligent woman, with a good head on her shoulders. Well, if you look past the whole getting drunk and having unprotected sex bit. Anyways, I had never brought a woman home on my own terms to meet them. It's probably why things didn't work out with my ex, but she was a handful without even getting attached to my family. There were a few women that I did bring to the house with me, after a date that they had set us up on. It was more of a scapegoat tactic, though.

"_I_ haven't even seen her yet," Emmett piped in, standing from the stool to begin helping himself to another serving.

I picked up my spoon and began eating. The pie was delicious, as usual, and it was still all sweet and warm, which tasted even better with the cold vanilla ice cream.

"No? Why hasn't she met Emmett?"

"I'm afraid he'll scare her off," I joked, though it was a serious thought. He was capable of doing that if he put his mind to it..

The rest of the night proceeded with talking and a bit of television before we had dinner. Trust my mother to serve out desert before the actual meal, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I enjoyed being home, there was a comfort in being here that I just couldn't get anywhere else, not even at my condo. After our meal we went out into the backyard and had a glass of wine. Esme didn't miss a beat in chastising me when I lit a cigarette, as usual, saying she didn't want anything to happen to me.

It was a bad habit, sure. But the way I saw it, you could not smoke, not drink, eat healthy, exercise…and die anyway. Pessimistic, sure, but that doesn't make it not true. It was late when Emmett and I started to mention going home but Esme insisted we stay the night. Emmett was in one of the guest rooms and me in my old bedroom. I didn't bother to turn on any of the lights when I entered, I knew my way around perfectly, and I was too tired to do anything other than sleep. After shedding myself of all clothing except my boxers I heard a buzzing sound coming from the ground, the pockets of my pants lighting up. I pulled the phone out of my pocket, wondering if my eyes were playing tricks on me from the name that appeared—a text from Bella.

It was simple, and left nothing to be deciphered. A simple text to alter my life, forever.

**I'm keeping it.**

* * *

I'm loving doing these revisions. And surely you're all loving the speed that they're coming out. I can't promise that these updates on a daily basis will continue, but since so much was already written it's rather easy. July will probably be a busy month for me, packing and moving and all, but no worries—the internet is already set up there. (: Until next time! Which will probably be tomorrow—maybe even twice, if I'm feeling the love. Which I have been, cause you guys are awesome!

Xo chams


	5. Woe this crazy circumstance

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything to make me rich off of this.

**Author's Note: **As always, thank you so much to all you lovely dolls that took the time to review. A thanks to those of you that haven't, but have put the story on your alert list, and kisses to you that took the time to PM me words of encouragement. I appreciate you all! This chapter is longer than any prior, so enjoy! No Beta still, or probably ever, so all mistakes are mine. Get used to it! (:

_Unsure of what the balance held  
I touched my belly overwhelmed  
By what I had been chosen to perform  
But then an angel came one day  
Told me to kneel down and pray  
For unto me a man child would be born_

_To Zion – Lauryn Hill_

**Chapter Five**

The bright light of my phone illuminated the darkness of my room. I stared at the screen for probably a good ten minutes—however not a thought was traveling through my mind. I didn't know what to think or how to react. I checked the time in the top right corner of the screen. It was 10:28. Was that too late to call her? Before I could talk myself out of it I placed the phone to my ear as it rang.

It rang a few times and I started to worry that she wouldn't answer, but then she did.

"Edward?"

Her voice sounded light, and like a breath of fresh air to my ears. I smiled immediately.

"Hey, how are you doing?" I asked.

"I feel alright. I'm sorry I text so late. Did I wake you?"

"Not at all, I just came to lie down in my room. Well, my old room…I came up to visit my parents and it got a little late. I would have drove home but my mother insisted that the one glass of wine I had put me over the legal alcohol limit," I rolled my eyes at the thought.

"Your parents live here in the city?"

"South Hampton, my buddy Emmett and I drove up together. Have you ever been?"

"I can't say that I have, or that I've ever even wanted to. Too fancy. I don't mingle well with the rich," she said, giggling softly.

"Is that so?" I was intrigued, mainly just because she was talking. She could have been discussing foreign politics and I would have still been asking her questions to hear more out of her. I knew we would need to discuss more pressing topics later but for now…this was nice. Plus it gave me a little more insight to who Isabella Swan really was.

"It's true…I put my elbows on the table at dinner and I hear that's looked down upon. I sometimes swear too much—which I figure I'll have to work on—and I'm not embarrassed to burp in public. Gross, isn't it?"

I sat up on my bed, a wide smile on my face. It didn't sound gross at all. It sounded so…different from the girls I had typically been associated with. They wanted to appear to be so perfect and elegant, and it was just a huge turn off for me.

"Would you believe me if I said it sounds cute? I'd like to take you to dinner sometime and we could _both_ be unsophisticated with our elbows all over the table. We could even use our salad forks on the main course," I joked lightly, though I wouldn't mind taking her to dinner.

Her laughter entered my ear through the phone and I wished so badly that I could see her face, to see what it was like when that beautiful sound came from her mouth.

"Can I see you soon?" I asked abruptly, causing her laughter to stop.

"Uhmm," she trailed off and I held my breath, awaiting rejection. It was strange, the affect she had on me—any other woman would have rushed to answer with a yes but she kept me on my toes. I think I liked it. "I have a doctor's appointment on Monday…do you…I mean, will…can you come with me, Edward?"

In the event of her not actually saying no, I figured she would say we could meet up for coffee again or perhaps she could be persuaded into allowing me to take her on a date. Asking me to attend her doctor's appointment wasn't what I had imagined. I didn't like doctors, or their offices but…if she was indeed keeping the baby I would probably have to get over that very soon.

"Yes, of course. Should I pick you up?"

"That beats taking the bus," she offered a small laugh but I didn't find the thought of her pregnant on public transit amusing. "It's at three o'clock."

"I'll be there around two, then."

"Edward?"

"Yes?"

"Please, be honest with me when I ask you this," she pleaded. "Is this something you can and want to do? It's…a big, if not _the_ biggest, decision either of us will ever make. If you didn't want to do this you would tell me, right? I can handle it, if you're not—it won't change my mind. I just want you to be sure."

"I'm not going to lie…the thought of me being a dad scares the shit out of me. It's not something I pictured for myself at this time in my life, but…it's happening. It's going to be hard, I'm sure of it, but I have faith in myself…I can handle it."

Just saying the words sounded reassuring, even to me.

She exhaled, sounding slightly relieved. "I know we're not…together or anything but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to you," I smiled at that. "But…even if we just remain friends and you're in this for the long haul, I want to get to know you—we kind of have to."

"Well, we have about eight months for that, right? Plenty of time to get to know each other."

"There isn't much to know about me," she sighed, "I'm a pretty boring person, or so I've been told."

"Someone said that to you?" I asked, suddenly feeling defensive.

"Yeah but…I don't tend to care what other people think about me. Fuck them, you know? They don't know my life. Nothing matters but what I think. I'm rather strong headed and stubborn, you'll come to learn. I apologize in advance."

"As am I, that should be rather interesting," I said. "Have you been feeling sick at all?"

I changed the subject, not intentionally, but I was really wondering how she was holding up with all of this.

"A little…not too much. I'll tell you, I've never thrown up before so when it happened the first time it was pretty intense for me. This little bean is taking a lot of my energy, already."

"We can stop by a store after the doctor's appointment and pick you up some things that can help you with that," I said in an off handed manner. I didn't give her a chance to reply before I spoke again, "I was talking to Emmett—he's sort of like my brother—and he was telling me that at this stage it's growing eyes, ears, a nose, arms, and legs—maybe even fingernails."

Her breath sounded as if it got hitched in her throat.

"I'm putting my hand over my belly, but it's just strange to think that something is _growing_ inside of me."

I couldn't even begin to imagine what it must feel like for her. To feel the changes so instantly in her body. All I could do was _think_ what it must be like, but for her this was all real, right now, at this very moment.

"A little magic bean," I said softly.

"Hmm," she hummed softly before yawning rather loudly.

"It's late, though. I should let you get some rest," I told her.

"Sleep sounds amazing right now. You have no idea," she replied.

"Good, then sleep well. I will talk to you soon. Is it alright if I give you a call tomorrow?"

"Sure. I have to work though, but I can sneak in a text every now and then. Goodnight, Edward."

"Goodnight, Bella…sweet dreams."

I heard a faint giggle before the line went dead.

I slipped beneath the blankets and placed my phone on the night stand. I don't know how I was going to get any sleep with my mind going at a thousand miles a minute.

We were doing this. We were going to have a baby. I was going to be a father. I didn't even know where to begin with processing the thought, or physically preparing for it. My condo wasn't built to have a child living there—the white furniture and fixtures would have to be replaced. The hard wood floors would have to be removed from at least one room so that it could be replaced with carpet and turned into a nursery. There was a lot to do, and I didn't even know the half of it. Not to mention I still had to tell Carlisle and Esme.

Shit..

* * *

The following afternoon when we were on the way home, I took the opportunity to chew Emmett out for blabbing about Bella to Esme in the first place. It was a hard enough situation trying to figure out what Bella and I were going to do—then having him tell my parents about her. He defended himself in saying that I wouldn't be able to hide her forever, and that it would be best to tell them now, so that I didn't just show up in a year or so with a baby in my arms. He was right, I would give him that much, but I would have liked to tell them on my own time, in my own way. I had a couple of months to do it, and I wanted the best turn out possible.

As soon as the conversation ended I took out my phone and dialed Bella's number.

The phone rang and rang and rang, but she didn't answer. I got her answering machine and left a short message.

"Hey, Bella—it's Edward. I'm on my way back from the Hampton's; I wanted to see what you were doing later. You're probably at work, so—just call me back after you get this."

Emmett rolled his eyes after I put the phone down and I reached across the car to punch him in the arm. He did the same, causing the car to jerk but I quickly steadied the Audi.

"_You're probably at work so just call me back when you get this_," Emmett mimicked me in a rather high-pitched tone.

I didn't punch him again, knowing he would be anticipating it. It worked better this way, as his counter punch would be three times of what I could muster. He had brute strength on his side but I had agility—I could deliver a combination of punches within the time it took him to slug out one.

"I understand, you're lonely; that's what this is all about," I said, in a matter-of-fact way.

"Oh, you got me," he replied sarcastically. "I've been crying myself to sleep every night because my best friend doesn't have time for me anymore…though I just recently managed to survive half a year without him."

"I'm sorry, Em. I'll try to be around a little more," I joked, reaching over to squeeze his shoulder.

He pushed my hand away, "Yeah, right. I've got ways to keep myself occupied."

"Like what? And your game systems don't count."

He was silent for a moment before finally speaking up, "I actually go out at night. I've got more of a life than you do."

"Sure. I bet you meet a lot of decent women at clubs, don't you?"

"Isn't that where you met Bella?" He countered, the witty son of a bitch.

"Shut up," I grumbled. I kept off his back about the topic for the rest of the drive.

* * *

After getting back into the city I was rather intent on seeing Bella, hopefully before the appointment. She called me, and sometimes texted me, but she always seemed to be at work. I couldn't understand how one person could work so much, but I blamed that on my upbringing. Growing up my father did work a lot, but he was also able to take a month long vacation if he wished and that was a luxury I doubted Bella had at her restaurant job.

I didn't get a chance to see her over the weekend but when Monday rolled around I was parked in front of her apartment building at 1:56. I was out of my car and at her door by 1:58, and I had the biggest, brightest, shit eating grin on my face at 1:59 when she opened her door.

"Well aren't you punctual," she said, smiling at me.

I don't think I had ever seen someone so naturally breathtaking without even trying. Was this pregnancy having an effect on my emotions as well already? Anyways, she wore a pair of blue jeans that hugged her legs tightly and wore a shirt that nearly caused my smile to break my face.

"I'm nothing if not that," I replied. I reached out to tug at the hem of her shirt. "Khal Drogo, huh? It would appear I've got some strong competition."

"You watch Game of Thrones?" she asked, her eyes lighting up.

"It's the only reason I have HBO," I told her.

She laughed at that. "Let me grab my purse and jacket and then we can head out."

I nodded, leaning against the door frame as she went to the kitchen and grabbed her bag off the counter.

When we made it in front of the building and to my car, I opened her door for her before walking around and getting into the driver's seat.

"Nice car," she said, buckling her seat belt. "I had this beat up, old rusty truck when I first came out here. I sold it on Craigslist for a couple hundred bucks after about a month, though…it was too big for the streets of New York."

"How long have you been out here?" I asked as I started the car up and punched in the address she had given me into the GPS.

"About three years…I'm originally from Forks, Washington…probably the smallest town, ever."

"Can't say that I've heard of it," I didn't bother mentioning that I knew she had graduated from Forks High School from her Facebook page. My friend request still hadn't been accepted, but I didn't want to bring that up—it was trivial.

We fell into an easy sort of conversation as we drove, and in the back of my mind I wondered what we would expect at this appointment. Were they going to poke and prod her with utensils? Would they need anything from me? I really didn't know how these things went.

When we arrived at the doctor's office it was a little before three o'clock and the waiting room didn't have too many people in it. Bella immediately went to the front desk and I followed behind her, listening as the woman informed her of the paper work she would have to fill out and what the cost for the appointment would be. Bella handed her an insurance card which would cover most of the visit, and asked about making payments for the rest. I didn't say anything at that moment, but her cheeks tinted pink and she glanced at me out the corner of her eye as we sat down.

She would only have to pay about a hundred dollars after what her insurance would cover which didn't seem like much to be. After her admittance to being stubborn, offering to pay for everything didn't seem like the best thing to talk about in the waiting room. She handed in her paperwork and was called into the back for a urine sample. It was in that moment that I knew what I would do while I had the chance.

"Excuse me?" I said to the woman behind the counter.

"Yes?" She asked, smiling up at me. "How can I help you?"

"The woman I came here with—Isabella Swan—I know she asked about payment arrangements or whatever but could you," I dug out my wallet and pulled out my credit card, sliding it across the surface to the woman. "Put this on file, and whenever she has a copay, just use that."

"Sure, we can do that, one second," she said, grabbing my card in her hand to put the numbers into the computer screen and I couldn't help but smile. It felt good, to know Bella would have one less thing to worry about. As soon as I had my card back the door that led to the back room opened and Bella appeared, motioning for me to come and join her.

I muttered a small thank you to the woman and went to Bella. I felt my heartbeat pick up as we walked down the halls, the reality of the situation becoming more and more real as the seconds passed on in this place.

"I told them I wanted you to be here for all of this, so you know what's going on."

She led me into a dark room, where she sat down in a chair. A nurse was in front of a computer but turned around, smiling at both of us before taking Bella's blood pressure.

"Nice to see you again, Bella," she greeted. "And who is this handsome young man?"

"This is Edwarrd—Edward, this is Siobahn. She's the best nurse in this place," Bella introduced us.

"It's nice to meet you," I smiled politely.

"You as well," she replied. "Blood pressure is good, as usual. Can you step on the scale for me, sweetie?"

Bella did as she was asked and the numbers read 118.

"Everything looks good here," Siobhan said, writing notes on a clipboard. "Follow me and I'll show you to your room. The Doctor isn't too busy today, so he should be along shortly."

We walked down a hallway to a room with the number eight on the door. I followed Bella inside, sitting on one of the appointed chairs while Bella sat in the designated one for the patient.

"Remove your pants and underwear, but you can leave on your top," Siobhan said, reaching behind the door for a gown. "Put this on and just relax, he'll be with you soon."

"Thank you," Bella said, offering a small smile to the woman as she exited the room. She held the gown she had been given loosely in her hands, looking at me shyly. "This feels a little more awkward than it should, I guess."

"Oh, I'll turn around if you'd like," I said, immediately understanding. Although I had seen her completely naked once before in a drunken haze, this was completely different.

"It's okay…just…try not to be a pervert, yeah?" She teased, smiling as she unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans before pulling them down. It seemed as if she were removing them at the slowest pace ever, revealing inch by inch of creamy skin.

I nervously cleared my throat, averting my gaze to one of the posters on the wall. Which didn't help matters as it was a diagram of the female reproductive system. It was strange seeing the image on the wall and trying to imagine it inside of Bella.

Tearing my eyes away from the picture I looked back at Bella who was, thankfully, covered in the gown. She folded her pants neatly and placed them on the empty chair next to be.

"Oops," she giggled, reaching beneath the gown for a moment. She yanked down her underwear and kind of balled them up and placed them underneath her pants.

How is it that everything she did seemed to be so god damn cute?

"Do you know what they're going to do with you today?" I asked curiously.

She shrugged her shoulders, "Can't say that I've ever been to one before."

"So it's a first for both of us. Are you nervous?"

She hadn't stopped fidgeting with the gown she was wearing since she sat down in the chair.

"Is it obvious? I don't know…it's weird. I feel worried," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

I stood immediately, walking over to her. Without even thinking if she would object or not, I placed a hand on the side of her head, looking down into her eyes—wide, bright, and mirroring the fear I was trying to hide in my own. I felt worried, too, and being scared shitless probably had a lot to do with that. There was just an air of uncertainty floating between us, probably because neither of us had a clue how this was going to work.

There was a knock at the door and I turned to look as the doctor entered the room. He was an older, dark haired gentleman with wisps of grey coming in at the roots. His eyes seemed kind of beady and his nose was rather pointy, but he seemed harmless. It now dawned upon me that this man…this guy was about to place her feet in the stirrups and lift up her gown. My jaw clenched at the thought—why couldn't she have a female doctor?

"Hello, Miss Swan, it's lovely to see you again," he said as he closed the door. He turned to me, extending his hand, "I'm Dr. Aro Russo."

"Edward Cullen," I said, shaking his hand firmly.

"Alright, let's see what we have here," he said, using hand sanitizer before sitting on his stool in front of Bella and viewing the clipboard Siobhan had left. "The date of conception was September 3rd, and the date of your last menstrual period was August the 9th which means your due date is May 16th. How does that sound?"

"A spring baby," she said meekly. She looked up at me, smiling softly.

As he spoke, she didn't look frightened, she appeared interested, a soft smile playing on her lips and I wanted to know what she was thinking of.

"Now, Bella, you've been coming here for a few years now, but prior to that there were no medical issues with you, correct?"

"None, I'm a pretty healthy person. My dad does have high blood pressure, but he enjoys salt on everything and he's also a police officer so those are both contributing factors I'm sure."

"And on your mother's side?"

"Well," she gave me a nervous glance before continuing. "My mother passed away about four years ago, from breast cancer. I've been checked regularly since she was diagnosed, though, and so far so good."

"I see," he made a few more notes on the clipboard.

Hearing that her mother had died made her feel like even more of a stranger to me. You think you'd know if a person's parents were dead or not before you got them pregnant. Our situation was not typical at all.

"And what about you, Edward? Any history of family illness?"

I hadn't been expecting him to ask me any questions but I suppose if there was anything in my DNA to be worried about, it could pose an issue.

"My grandmother had Alzheimer's...that's it. To my knowledge my parents are perfectly healthy," I informed him, "I smoke…occasionally, but aside from that I'm alright."

Bella's hand reached out for mine and she squeezed it softly.

Here I was, risking the possibility of lung cancer with each cigarette I smoked and she…she had lost her mother to a cancer that could have been caused by any number of things. I had tried quitting in the past, only to start back up a month or so later. I'd never really had a reason to quit…not before now.

The doctor placed the clipboard on the counter before turning on the machine on the opposite side of Bella. He then guided her legs into the stirrups, the gown she wore was now blocking him from my view but I was curious to see what he was doing. I heard the sound of plastic rustling, followed by a bottle opening. Still holding Bella's hand I leaned to the right, peering over the gown to watch as he applied some sort of jelly like liquid to an oddly shaped apparatus. Given where we were and the shape of it, I didn't even have to think twice about where he was going to put it.

"You may feel some discomfort, but try to relax, dear," he instructed. "Let's see if we can get a glimpse of your baby, shall we? It's alright Dad," he had to look up at me before I even registered who he was speaking to. "Watch the screen, I'm sure you'll want to see that instead."

Bella giggled softly, drawing my attention back to her. "Yeah, relax Dad."

I couldn't help but smile at her when she said it. I placed my other hand around hers, holding it gently. A look of discomfort crossed over her features and her back arched slightly which could have only meant he had inserted that strange looking tool. She let out a slow breath and lay back flat against the chair, turning her head to look at the screen.

"Your gestation is at about six weeks, so there won't be much to see but we should be able to—Ah, there—there it is, listen." He reached over with his free hand to turn up the volume on the machine.

At first all I could hear was what sounded like water sloshing around and then—there it was.

It was such a small, faint sound that grew started to grow louder as the image on the screen became clearer. Thumpthumpthumpthumpthump. It was fast and strong and determined. It was Bella. It was me. It was…beautiful. I felt her hand squeeze mine again, her eyes fixed on the screen.

"A baby's heartbeat is much faster than ours—it's working hard to develop and grow everything it needs to be brought into our world. There isn't much to see but that speck there, that's your baby."

"My little baby bean," Bella said softly. I looked down at her as she used her free hand to wipe at her eyes.

The sound of the thumping, the speck on the screen…that was ours.

A few minutes later the doctor removed the apparatus and the room fell deaf.

"You're young, and in good shape so this should be an easy pregnancy for you," he said as he stood, disposing of materials and Bella removed her feet from the stirrups. "We will schedule your appointments at about a month apart for now, to make sure everything is going as it should. Do either of you have any questions for me?"

"Are there any specific prenatal vitamins I should be taking?" Bella asked.

"There are no specifics as no to women are exactly the same during their pregnancies If you have any that start to make you feel strange, though, I would say to switch to a different brand, Have you been feeling ill at all?"

"The morning sickness just started last week," she informed him.

"You shouldn't be as tired within the next few weeks. The first two months take a lot of energy out of you—your body is, after all, creating another life. If you feel as if anything is wrong, feel free to give us a call."

"Thank you, Doctor Russo," I said as he washed his hands, his backs facing us.

"Can we still have sex?" Bella asked abruptly, causing my eyes to snap down, looking at her. A blush crept up her cheeks and while inside I was doing a little dance at just knowing she had even thought about having sex with me again.

"Who am I to stop you?" He said, smiling as he turned around. "Yes, it's still all right. You're not too far along and as long as no complications arise down the road, it still shouldn't matter."

"Oh, okay," she said, sitting up in the chair. "Thank you."

"Anytime, dear. Schedule your next visit with Jane at the front desk, okay? I'll see you soon." He gave a quick wave before exiting the room, shutting the door behind him.

Bella wasted no time in getting up and putting her clothing back on. I think I was still a little dazed by her question to even to even worry about watching her get dressed. She tossed the gown in the designated bin and grabbed her purse.

"That wasn't so bad, right?" She asked casually, her deep brown eyes looking up at me.

"No…it was actually great…aside from the fact that his main focus was a place I'd rather no male get to see," I said, holding her gaze to watch her reaction.

She rolled her eyes.

"It's his job, you know. He's probably seen a million of them, and mine isn't anything special."

"I beg to differ," I whispered.

She sucked in her bottom lip, capturing it between her teeth and I wanted nothing more than to feel it between mine.

"Were you alright, though? I mean...if he did anything wrong to you just tell me and I'll have him laying flat on his back," I threatened.

Bella frowned at my words and I didn't like the sight of it, "You're not a violent person, Edward."

"I could be, for you," I admitted quietly as he walked to the door. I turned the knob and held it wide open for her, walking closely behind her as we made our way to the front desk. Bella talked with the blonde woman, Jane, and scheduled the next appointment.

It was still light outside when we left, but the sun would be setting within the hour. I didn't want our time together to end just yet, but I didn't quite know how to keep it going. Should I ask her to go eat? Could I invite myself up to her place?

I clicked the unlock button and the lights on the Audi flashed, signaling the doors were now indeed unlocked.

"Well," I said, opening her door to the car, "anytime you want to—"

I was cut off by her lips crushing mine. The shock at what was happening didn't last long. Her hand grasped my jacket and she pulled me to her, leaning back against the car. I placed one hand on the roof and the other on her hip, dipping my head so we were angled better. I parted her lips with my tongue, seeking entrance which she immediately granted. Our tongues clashed together and she let out a soft moan, causing me to grip her hip tighter.

I hadn't been expecting the kiss, but I wasn't about to turn her down. One of her hands found their way to the back of my neck as the other tangled itself within my hair, tugging softly. She was trying to undo me, right here on the side of the street. Hearing a car zoom by only further reminded me of where we were and I caught her bottom lip between my teeth, just like I wanted to, and tugged at it gently as I pulled away.

"Bella, you have no idea what you're doing to me," I breathed heavily, resting my forehead against hers.

Pointedly, she thrust her hips against mine as she kissed me again.

"Or maybe you do," I chuckled softly. "Let's get you home, okay?"

She nodded, pressing her hands against my chest to nudge me back.

"Have you eaten? I can make dinner, if you'd like."

I felt relieved at the invitation, my worry about how to spend more time with her fading quickly.

"That sounds amazing," I said as I opened her car door for, waiting for her to sit inside before shutting it.

Though I had one worry tucked away safely, a new one was presenting itself.

How do you start dating a woman that you've already gotten pregnant?

Fuck if I knew. Welcome to my life.

* * *

\

Are you loving it? I should have another chapter up within the next few days…I'm thinking maybe the 2nd, and then another on the 4th of July before I take my princess out to set off some fireworks! Well, her dad will be doing all the pyro work, but she can finally sit with me and enjoy them this year rather than falling asleep or being terrified of the loud noises. That's what has happened so far, in that order, since she was born haha. Talk to you guys, soon!


	6. The Things We Do

**Disclaimer: ** You should know the routine by now.

**Author's Note: ** Greetings. Quite a lot of reviews came pouring in, last chapter. I appreciate each and every one. You guys are the bees knees, I tell you! Read on!

_"Each morning I get up, I die a little,_

_Can barely stand on my feet_

_Take a look in the mirror and cry_

_'Lord what you doing to me?'"_

_Queen - Somebody to Love_

**Chapter Six**

We entered her apartment and it looked just as it had the two times I had been here prior, but it felt different. I shed myself of my jacket and placed it across the arm of the couch, next to the bag of prenatal vitamins we had stopped to pick up. Thinking about what happened the first time I had ever been here and what had just transpired before we got into the car I was tempted to just say fuck dinner and…well, fuck her, to put it simply.

"Make yourself comfortable and I'll get started on dinner in a minute," she said, walking down the hallway towards her bedroom.

I didn't know what to do, though. I knew that I had to focus on something other than the thought of her naked, and fast. I could help with dinner, but I didn't want to burn the food—which I had a habit of doing when I tried to cook.

"You can turn on the television," she called out from her room, "I don't have cable though so, tough break. There's some DVD's in there, you can put one in if you want."

I was silently thankful for being given a task so I wasn't just standing here like an idiot. Her television was one of this old, big, bulky big screens that had the stand attached to it. It was probably a great find about ten years ago, but it just seemed out dated to me. I looked through her DVD's, scanning for something that I would actually watch, skipping over titles like 'Mean Girls' without any consideration. I picked up a case that was on the shelf with them.

"Don't judge me," her voice came from behind me this time. "There's this kid that works as a bus boy at the restaurant with me, Seth—he's a real sweetheart—and whenever there's a movie that I want to see but don't own I just give him the name of it and he has it for me the next day. I don't ask questions, but I'm certain it's illegal. Are you going to turn me in?"

She had pulled her hair back into a ponytail as she spoke, and I liked the hairstyle on her—I could see more of her face…and her ears as they stuck out now, usually covered by her curls.

"I can be bribed with a well cooked meal," I teased, flipping through the case. I stopped when I came across 'The Avengers'—part of me happy that it was in her collection, and the young boy in me just excited to watch it again. "How's this?" I asked, showing her the disc.

"Sounds good, I'll get started. You're not allergic to seafood are you?"

"Not at all. I think I'd die without it," I admit. Crab legs, shrimp, lobster, you name it. If it came out of the sea I'd try it. Except whale, or dolphin…that's just cruel, even though they were considered a delicacy in some countries.

She gave a wide smile before going into the kitchen. I busied myself for a few minutes, turning the TV and DVD player on. I didn't want to sit here like some Alpha Male, watching a movie while she cooked dinner, though.

"Can I help with anything?" I asked, walking towards the kitchen. "I'll add a disclaimer now, though—I've burnt toast."

"What am I going to do with you?" She asked, eyeing me playfully. "Can you make a salad?"

"I think I can manage that," I said, pushing back the sleeves of my shirt and going to the sink to wash my hands. "Whatever you're starting in that pan smells delicious already."

"It's shrimp, butter and garlic, nothing too fancy," she said. "We're having Fettuccini Alfredo—with shrimp, obviously."

"Obviously," I mimicked her.

"Shush, you. I don't want too many tomatoes, a lot of cucumbers and a ton of cheese and dressing," she started rambling off orders as she took the proper ingredients out of the refrigerator.

"Ten tomato slices, two cucumber slices, a sprinkle of cheese and a dab of dressing?" I felt the corner of my mouth lifting up into a smirk as she swatted me on the arm.

We settled into an easy enough mood, I was slicing up the vegetables as she boiled the noodles and prepared the shrimp and garlic bread. Before I could even ask for it, she grabbed salad bowls for each of us and placed it on the counter next to me. She was good—I wanted to see what she looked like in a much larger kitchen, barking out orders at the chefs that worked beneath her.

The entire meal couldn't have taken more than thirty minutes to make. I prepped her small dining room table with plates, silverware and glasses.

"Have a seat and I'll bring everything over there," I instructed.

"I think I could get used to this," she said, chuckling softly as she sat down in her chair.

I laughed right along with her, wondering if I could, too.

I took the salad over first, followed by the large serving dish that had the pasta and shrimp inside of it.

"There's wine, in there, if you want…I'm just having water, though."

I settled for water as well, wanting to spend an evening with her without the effects of alcohol. I took the seat next to her when everything had been brought over.

"Do you say grace or anything?" She asked curiously.

"Not too religious, no. Do you?"

She shook her head and immediately picked up her fork, starting in on her salad.

There was so much that I wanted to ask her, that I wanted to talk about, but I didn't want to force it. Not the conversation, or this…thing between us. So I opted for a random topic.

"This is going to sound silly, but I sent you a Facebook friend request a few days ago. Well, I had been looking at your page and Emmett sent it."

She giggled, "I hardly use that thing. I got so sick of those damn Candy Crush notifications I stopped paying attention to it. I'll add you, though. I wouldn't mind being Facebook friends with you."

"I'm honored," I smiled, scooping some of the food onto my plate.

We fell into an easy, light conversation after that until there was a knock at the door. She looked at me, a slightly confused expression on her face.

"Do you want me to get it?" I offered.

"No, I'll get it." She pushed her chair away from the table and I watched as she went to the door looking through the peep hole. "Oh," she chirped. She opened the door slowly, a faint smile creeping over her lips.

"Hey, Bella. I just wanted to borrow a bit of milk, if I could."

"Sure, sure," she said, opening the door all the way and stepping aside.

It was the blonde haired girl from the elevator. She stared at me with a rather quizzical look.

"Oh, Rosalie, this is Edward. Edward, Rosalie."

I stood from the table and went to politely shake her hand.

"It's nice to meet you," I said before letting go of her hand—she actually had quite a strong grip.

"Hmm, yes. How do you two know each other?" She asked, and her eyes traveled down my body before locking on my gaze again.

"He's a friend, Rose."

Ah, a friend—so that was that, eh?

"A friend? You cook such extravagant dinners for friends?" Rosalie tested, raising her eyebrows.

Bella shrugged, "I'd cook this for you if you wanted me to. Take the carton and stop pestering us, please."

"Well, thank you for being so polite, love." Rosalie said as she took the carton into her own hands. "I'll see you some other time then, Edward," she grinned and winked at me before leaving the apartment, closing the door after.

"Sorry about that," Bella apologized as we took our seats again.

"No apologies necessary."

"She's lived next door for nearly a year, only recently she's been out of town a lot because of the modeling she's started doing. I look after her place; feed her cat…whatever I can to help. She never has food so she usually comes by to borrow random stuff when she's in town."

I could understand her being a model. She was tall and very beautiful—no man in his right mind could deny that...but she wasn't my type, I was coming to discover that I preferred brunettes. Bella's explanation also explained the cat I had seen on my first night here.

We finished dinner without any further interruptions—about half way through Bella suddenly erupted with laughter, saying that she didn't even know how old I was. I knew she was twenty three from Facebook and I informed her that I had just turned twenty four in June. After we finished eating I cleaned off the table and insisted on washing the dishes, despite Bella's objections. She offered me sugar cookies in return, saying she had baked them earlier today. I had her take them into the living room and wait until I was finished. It didn't take long to clean everything and soon we were sitting on the couch with the movie playing.

I was sitting upright on the couch with one arm across the back and she sat right next to me snuggled up into my side.

About ten minutes into the movie, she readjusted herself to fit better against me and I wrapped my arm around her, resting it along her midsection. She sighed and I tore my gaze away from the screen to look down at her. Her deep brown eyes were transfixed on the screen and she looked quite peaceful and serene lying against me.

The movie played on and no matter how much I loved the film, I couldn't force myself to pay attention. Not when she was this close to me, finally. It didn't feel awkward or uncomfortable it felt…sure, it felt right.

"Are you even watching the movie?" She asked, stealing me out of my thoughts.

"Uhm…not really, no."

She sat up abruptly and looked straight at me.

"Can I…" she trailed off, her eyes darting down to my lips for a moment.

She was so unlike any girl I had met before.

Grinning like a mad man I placed a hand on the back of her neck and all but pulled her towards me, our lips colliding in a frenzy. It felt like…it felt like…_finally_. She tasted so sweet, like sugar cookies, and I wanted more. What was it about her and this couch that was able to clear my mind of all thoughts but her. Perhaps it was an enchanted, banana yellow couch.

We could have finished watching the movie. We could have discussed the looming topic of her pregnancy. But we did none of those. We instead got lost in each other, in hard kisses and gentle caresses.

I maneuvered her so she was in my lap and pulled her against me, my hands slipping beneath her shirt to feel her skin—she was unbelievably soft.

"I see someone likes this position in particular," she breathed into my ear.

I let out a soft growl, moving my hands down to her thighs. I made sure I had a good grip on her and stood from the couch, causing her to squeal.

"I like several position—but not on the couch again, not this time," I said.

She fisted her hands in my hair, lathering my neck in moist kisses as she ground her hips against mine. I groaned, gripping her hips tighter in warning. If she continued I was sure we wouldn't make it to the bedroom, I would fuck her against her hallway wall.

Thankfully her apartment wasn't too big, so when we made it to the room I placed her on the bed and she grinned down at me, sliding up towards her pillows. She crossed her arms, grabbing opposite corners of her shirt and lifted it up and over her head before laying back—waiting.

I kicked off my shoes, peeled off my socks, and finally crawled up the bed to her. Her hands came out, resting on my chest, preventing me from kissing her.

"I want you to know that I'm not usually like this," she said, playing with the collar of my shirt. "Isn't that what all girls say though?" she laughed at herself for a moment. "Seriously, though…I don't know if it's just the fact that it had been a fucking year before that night or if it's the hormones or if it's just you. It might be a combination of all three, but this isn't common for me. The scary part is that I don't think I care…I just want you," she made a point of wrapping her legs around my hips.

I grazed the tip of my nose across her jaw line, practically bathing in what she had just said. She really knew how to spur on a man's ego.

"Then have me," I whispered against her skin.

She wasted no time in discarding my shirt and pants, and I was all too eager to strip her of what clothing she had left on. My mouth founds it's way to her already hardened nipple and I swirled my tongue around it, eliciting a moan from her. As my hand came up to grasp her breast, I felt my underwear being pulled down—the clever minx found some way to pull them down and push them off of me with her feet.

Apparently I wasn't the only anxious one.

When she used my hair to pull my mouth to hers again, I sighed into her mouth—how did she know what I liked already?

With no clothing between us, my cock was resting against her bare skin. I reached a hand down to grab it, sliding it up and down her wet opening. It was so slick and smooth and warm I had to refrain from shoving in with too much force. I guided myself inside of her slowly, before pulling back out and teasing her clit again. Her legs moved higher up my waist and she snaked a hand between us, repositioning me at her entrance. She bit on my bottom lip and I sucked in a breath, as I entered her fully.

There were truly no words to describe it.

Her hips started rocking before mine, but I quickly caught up with the pace. When I thrust forward, she moved upward in sync. And it felt so fucking good.

Her nails lightly scratched my back and I began to move faster, though if I didn't slow down soon I was going to lose it. There was still so much I wanted to do. I wanted to flip us over so she could ride me, I wanted to introduce my mouth to ever inch of her skin, I wanted to…I wanted to…

"Damn it Edward, stop thinking," she said.

I looked down into her soft brown eyes, wondering what expression had been on my face to give me away.

"Just fuck me—harder," she instructed, as she moved her legs up around my neck and her hand disappeared between her thighs.

I was able to straighten out my back from this angle, using my knees to fuck her harder, as she had asked. I wrapped one arm around her legs, holding them to my chest, and used my other hand to pull hers away, replacing it with my own. I pressed my thumb against her clit, rubbing in fast circles as she moaned, her hands going to the headboard to brace herself.

"Fuck, Edward…fuck, fuck, _fuck_!"

I don't know how her voice managed to sound so rough and soft at the same time.

"Keep doing that—like that—yes…I'm going to—" She didn't even have to finish, her hands were back in my hair, and my lips were back on hers—her legs spread open to make room for me to get closer. As our tongues danced around each other, her back arched into me and she came. She felt tighter, wetter, and my thrusting sped up until my stomach tightened and I placed my arms above her head to hold myself up as I came, too.

It took me a minute to catch my breath, her fingers lightly tickling my back to help guide me back down safely.

When it was safe to, I rolled off of her and landed on my back on the bed.

"Not much of a talker?" She asked, turning her head to look at me.

I smiled, shrugging my shoulders, "Do you want me to be?"

"Are you insinuating that there will be a next time?" She grinned.

How did I not come off too strong when all I really wanted to say was that I really fucking hoped there would be?

"Can I take you out to dinner?"

I kind of shocked myself with my own question.

"We just ate," she replied.

"Not tonight, maybe Wednesday or Thursday if you're available," I explained.

She sat up and swung her legs off the side of the bed, standing to pull her underwear back on. Even with that one article of clothing on her body, I felt extremely undressed. It probably had something to do with the fact that she left my question hanging up in the air like that, too. She turned around a handed me my boxers and I immediately put them back on. Did she want me to leave?

"I said I want to get to know you, Edward," she finally spoke after far too long of silence. "But I don't want you feeling obliged to have to take me out to dinner or anything."

Her eyes were downcast, focusing on the floor.

I felt frustrated and unsure, not knowing what was going on inside of her head.

"I just…I don't think you would be offering if I wasn't pregnant," she finally looked at me with sad eyes. "I'm not trying to make it sound like you're a bad guy or anything but…you made no attempt to contact after that night, so I figured…" she trailed off, shrugging her shoulders. "I took advantage of you tonight, and I'm sorry. It probably wasn't the brightest idea I've ever had."

I crawled across the bed and sat in front of her, taking a hand to pull her between my legs.

"That was stupid of me, incredibly stupid. I apologize if that made me come off as an asshole, but please rest assured that I would not offer to take you out on some sort of pity dinner if I didn't truly mean it," I told her. "You didn't take advantage of me. I wanted it as much as you—if not more. I like you, Bella, and I'm beyond attracted to you, you're breathtaking," I said, raising a hand to trace the outline of her curves. "Whatever thought is in your head that's making you think I don't _want _to be here, get rid of it."

She smiled down at me, playing with the hairs above my ear.

"I'm not going to force you to be my girlfriend, or say that I've been dreaming about the day you'd call me your boyfriend but…we can go on a date, can't we? We can…we can try, right?"

She laughed softly—the sound that caused my chest to tighten.

"Right," she agreed.

"Good," I caressed her thigh where my hand now rested. "So…was that a yes or no to dinner?"

* * *

(: They're just so cute! I like when they're happy, but I'm going to tell you people now it's not always going to be rainbows and butterflies. Nothing super angsty, but what's a good romance story without some drama? And what type of drama will there be? Stay tuned to find out! Until next time my dears!


	7. Reservation for Cullen

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Twilight or its Universe!

**Author's Note:** As always, thank you to my reviewers! You guys make me smile, you make me laugh, and even if it's just a one worded "awesome" it still brightens my day! And to whomever is a guest that sends the reviews with "Type your review for this chapter here..." I giggle every time I see it. Not sure if it's intentional, but I enjoy seeing it either way.

**Some Thanks You's**: **Shaz308**, you for reviewing religiously every chapter. **Montara **you for reading and reviewing so quickly, and causing my phone to go off every twenty minutes or so with new email notifications. **Bobbysgirl** for always screaming at me in all caps, with lovely words of encouragement. **WannaBeDone** for making me literally laugh out loud on my break when I got your review. Too cute, you are. And always, always, always **H.J. Lovers** and **jimemon** for being here since, like, day one. You know, back in 2008. (: You two rock my polka dot socks. Not just trying to rhyme, they really do have polka dots.

READ ON, DEARS!

"_There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment." – _Sarah Dessen

**Chapter Seven**

Of all the uncertainty currently floating around in my life—there was always one constant anchor to hold me down. It's what I turned to whether I was in a good or bad mood.

Music.

Walking down the hall of my former school I was flooded with memories. It didn't help that I passed a picture of my younger self with an award plaque beneath it, either. This was a place where I did a lot of growing, where I learned so much about myself and my music and what limits I could push myself to. It had been a great time of my life.

The door to Eleazar's office was wide open, but I still knocked on it to capture his attention. He looked up from whatever book he had been reading and smiled, removing his glasses.

"Edward! You're just on time," he greeted, standing up to shake my hand. "Have a seat."

"Thank you," I replied once seated. "How are you?"

"I'm doing alright, it's the same old thing around here—molding young minds and all of that," he smiled. "How was California?"

"It was great. I wrote a lot of new pieces and they're actually going to use a few of them," I told him. "I'm waiting to hear back about composing a score for a film, too."

"I'll keep my fingers crossed from you, though I'm sure you'll get it."

He had always been an avid supporter of my work.

"A bit of change can work wonders on one's creativity—though, sometimes it has the ability to have the opposite effect," he added as an afterthought. "Anyways, the winter festival is still something we take very seriously here. The students that want to participate get to showcase their talent, the teachers vote and the winners receive a prize, as you know all too well."

I couldn't help but grin, remembering the plaque I had passed earlier.

"I want you to be a part of it this year. We were thinking that you could perhaps be the closing or opening act, if you're up for it."

Oh, to be back on that stage. The last time I performed there, I don't think I truly had a care in the world. Quite the opposite of where I'm at now. I wouldn't mind playing for a crowd again though; it had been far too long.

"Either one of those are fine, unless you'd rather play at intermission," he teased after I had been silent for a while.

"I can open, I suppose. I'd much rather you have a student close so they can really steal the show, though. It's only fair," I told him.

"You've always been the courteous type, haven't you?"—I nodded reluctantly—"Nice to see someone in the world hasn't changed. The showcase will be on December 14th, just before winter break, with rehearsals far and few in between for you. Now, you don't _have_ to write an entirely new piece. I'm sure you have a lot of unpublished works that are just as amazing as the public ones, if not more so."

He was right, but I would prefer to do something new, something with a winter vibe to it, perhaps. I had been feeling rather inspired lately, after all.

"Will I be able to bring anyone to watch the show?"

"Of course you may. Will your father and mother be attending?"

"Most likely, if they can make it," I told him. "Could I have one additional? If it's not too much to ask…"

"Not too much to ask at all, Edward. You'll receive them during rehearsal," he explained generously.

"Perfect," I smiled; I was already hoping Bella would agree to come as I had yet to play anything for her. It was still October for me to play her something before the showcase. "Well, thank you so much Eleazar. I appreciate you thinking of me to participate."

"No, thank _you_, Edward. Your line of work definitely doesn't require you to play at an event like this anymore," he chuckled, shaking head.

"Doesn't it, though? They say it's nice to return to where you got your start from," I replied, shrugging. "You're welcome, either way. Call me and let me know when the first rehearsal is?"

"I will, no worries. About four or five minutes in length, if you can—more is acceptable, of course."

I nodded again, standing from my chair. I extended my hand and we shook once again, "Send your wife my regards—she was always one of my favorite teachers."

"Carmen will glow with excitement when she hears that, she's been happy a lot lately though; she's expecting."

"Is she?" I sounded more surprised than I would have liked to let on.

"Due in March," he told me with a warming smile.

I wanted to say something about Bella, but I wasn't quite sure what _to_ say.

"Congratulations, to the both of you," I said politely. "I'll see you soon."

As I left the building, I wondered if I made more of the situation than necessary—but it still felt so strange to tell someone I was going to be a father. The only people that knew, to my knowledge, was Bella—obviously—her friend Alice, and Emmett. For now, only us four knew about it, but how long could that last?

I sat in my car, parked in front of the restaurant Bella worked at in what we New Yorkers considered Little Italy. Originally I was supposed to pick her up from her apartment, but she said someone had gotten fired and her boss needed her to cover their shift. The thought of her working so much irritated me, slightly, but what made matters worse is that she was just a waitress. She was more than capable of being a line chef with her criteria, so why had she not been given a fitting position?

There was a knock on the window and I looked over to see Bella waving, immediately unlocking the door and turning the heater on. It was the middle of October, so the weather in New York was starting its usual downward slope.

"Hey," she breathed, once she was in the car, immediately putting her hands in front of the vents. "Thanks for getting me from work. I had to have Rose swing by and bring my clothes for the evening."

"It's not a problem. How was work?" I asked, putting the car in drive and starting towards our destination.

"The same as always. Working a double definitely pays off in tips for the day," she said. "Where are we eating? I'm starving."

"Orsay," I told her. "Have you ever been?"

"Can't say that I have. If I ever eat out, it's usually at some cheap Chinese place," she shrugged. "I'm sure it will be good, though. I've heard great things about it. How'd you manage to get a table?"

"My father knows the owner," I said as we neared our destination.

"Connections are good for something then," she said lightly. "Well I'm glad I changed at work."

"Even in your work clothes, I'm sure you still look great."

"You're too kind," she batted her eyes playfully.

The ride from lower Manhattan to the Upper East Side could really vary depending on the time of day. Luckily we had just missed rush hour, and arrived on Lexington Avenue within thirty minutes.

I pulled the car into valet and put it into park. Bella's door was opened for her and I immediately exited the car as well, handing them to the attendant when he came around. After joining Bella on the sidewalk I placed my hand on the small of her back, leading her inside the restaurant.

A greeter was waiting on the other side of the door. "_Bonne soiree, Monsieur et Mademoiselle. Mai je prendre votre manteau_?" He asked, directing the question towards Bella.

She turned towards me—the look on her face said she was impressed, yet confused.

I chuckled and gestured towards the man who was standing behind her and to the side with his hands outstretched.

"He wants to take your coat," I translated and she immediately looked to him and nodded. He took her coat and put it in the closet they had, and I took in the sight of her. "Wow," I breathed. She was dressed in a simple black dress that rested just above her knees, with the thick straps hanging off the shoulders. She stood up straighter under my scrutinizing gaze, and I grinned. "You look beautiful," I told her, and there had never been a truer statement.

"Do you really think so?" She asked, pulling her hair to rest over her left shoulder.

"Yes," I whispered huskily into her ear, "I'm the envy of all men in here tonight."

She didn't have a chance to respond as the hostess asked for my name. I was half listening to the things she said, but replied without a problem. My mother was of French-Canadian decent and had made it a priority for me to learn the language at a young age. We rarely spoke it at home as my father preferred not being left out of the conversations.

My eyes were focused only on Isabella as the waitress checked for the reservation and led us through the dining room that was tapered with candles, setting a rather romantic mood to our table. Bella's long, wavy, dark brown curls fell to the middle of her back and I couldn't help but to play with a soft tendril as we walked. I pulled her chair out for her and slid it in before taking my own seat. I immediately unfolded my napkin and placed it over my lap; she watched me the entire time with a smile on her face. I ordered the wild mushrooms for starters, and the hostess then left us alone at the table.

"You fit in so easily here," she said after awkwardly unfolding her own napkin. "You stick out in my apartment with all of your…gracefulness, and whatnot."

"My gracefulness?" I repeated, letting out a soft chuckle. "You don't seem very clumsy to me."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, "I'm very…aware of everything I do when you're around and I try not to trip over my own feet."

"I'd catch you if you fell," I said, watching with relish as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

The waiter came to our table then, placing down the full cheese platter followed by two wine glasses which he promptly filled, all the while greeting us.

"_Bonjour_! _Je m'appelle Antoine. Je serai votre serveur ce soir. Avez-vous regarder le menu_?" He asked in a remarkably flawless accent.

"English is fine," I informed him, glancing at Bella quickly.

"I see," he said, smiling brightly. "It's nice to see you again, Mr. Cullen. Do you two know what you want yet? We have the Hors d'Oeuvres being prepared now."

"Can you give us another moment, Dimitri?"

"Of course, sir."

"Could I have a glass of the raspberry iced tea, please?" Bella spoke up.

"Of course, ma'am. I'll be right back with that," he gave a curt nod before walking away from the table.

"I miss drinking wine," Bella said softly after he left.

"I hadn't even realized, I'm sorry," I said, picking up the wine glass in front of her and moving it to the side of the table. Clearly I'd have to stop being so careless—she couldn't drink alcohol and though wine had a very low percentage, it was still present. I should have said something before he filled the glasses.

"I will just have to drink vicariously through you."

"I'm driving, so I doubt I'll be having more than a taste," I informed her.

"Smart," she smiled. She leaned back in her chair when Dimitri came back with her drink, muttering a small thank you.

"I've been known to be quite intelligent at times," I teased.

We fell silent for a moment as we both looked over the menu.

"I don't know, Edward, these dishes are all really—"

I cut her off before she could even finish.

"Order whatever you want, Bella. I'm treating you to dinner—don't bother looking at the prices. It's insulting," I said, my eyes on her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"It's fine, I know you didn't mean anything by it but, please, trust me when I say I have it covered. We're not going to have to wash dishes in the back or anything," I offered a small smile which she returned.

The next time Dimitri came around we both ordered our plates, making small talk as we waited. She had been at the restaurant for two years now and while she wanted to do more, she still liked her job. She sometimes hung out with her coworkers—there was Emily, Jessica, Quil, Embry, and the slightly younger one Seth. She spent most of her free time being outdoors, saying she grew up that way back at home. She had lived here for quite a while now but still liked to do touristy things. I kept that bit of information tucked safely in the important pile to remember for another time.

I told her a little more about my parents—my father the business owner and my mother the interior decorator. And of course I couldn't leave out Emmett. After spending quite some time discussing the tales of Emmett McCarty, she stated that he was to me what Alice was to her—a life long friend with a bond not easily broken.

When we started eating our meal the conversation died down a little, but I didn't mind. Bella had a look on her face that said she was enjoying the food immensely.

"This is _really_ good," she said, confirming my thoughts.

"I'm glad you're enjoying it," I replied, smiling softly. I took a sip of the wine in front of me, unsure if now was the right time to ask her a question that had been in the back of my mine since the doctor's appointment.

"I don't think I'll have room for desert," she said, leaning back and patting her stomach lightly.

"Bella," I started, placing my fork down on my plate. "What happened with your mother? If you don't mind me asking."

The smile on her face disappeared from sight.

"She passed away a few years ago from breast cancer," she shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. "It's not something I like to talk about—it makes me miss her. She would have been so happy to be a grandmother." A sad look took place on her soft features. "I don't really want to think about it, not right now, Edward."

I could only nod my head, not truly knowing what it felt like to lose a parent.

The rest of dinner proceeded without a hitch, though the beaming smile never returned to Bella's face. We skipped on desert and went to the car as soon as I had paid the bill. As soon as we were in the car with the heater on, Bella leaned back in her seat and shut her eyes. A few minutes into the drive and she had fallen asleep. I must have gotten lost in my thoughts while driving because twenty minutes later I had driven us to my building rather than hers.

"Bella," I called out softly, causing her to stir. "Do you want to stay at my place?"

Still partially sleeping she unbuckled her seatbelt while nodding her head.

I think her eyes were closed the entire elevator ride up. When we entered my apartment she seemed to wake up a little bit, surveying her surroundings.

"Wow," she murmured. "It's big."

"It's alright," I replied softly, easing her out of her jacket.

"I'm sorry—I didn't mean to fall asleep," she yawned, causing me to chuckle.

"It's okay, you can lay down in my room."

I showed her the way, flipping on the light switch before ushering her inside. My bedroom was the largest room in the condo—with glass windows from floor to ceiling. It was very open, but I had thick black curtains put up to block out the sun on my lazy days. The bed was in the center of the room, and the open entry bathroom was to the right.

"Can you unzip me?" she asked sleepily.

I dutifully unzipped the dress and she stepped out of it and went straight to the bed. I rummaged inside of one of my dresser drawers for a shirt for her to wear, which she accepted graciously.

As I searched for pajamas of my own, I felt happy about how the night had transpired after all. She had not been to my apartment yet, and though she was half asleep for her first visit, I still enjoyed the sight of her here, in my bed. I didn't even mind that she was lying on my side.

* * *

"Oh shit! Fuck, no, no!"

The swearing woke me up abruptly. I looked at the clock next to my bed which read 9:33 AM. It wasn't that late—it was still breakfast time.

"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting up as I watched her get up from the bed, looking around the room like a mad woman with her bed hair.

"I have work at 11. I forgot to set an alarm before we fell asleep. Fuck, I can't be late. Where's my bag? Did I leave it in your car? I'll just have to wear the same work clothes. The train only runs every thirty minutes, so if I leave now I should be able to make it on time."

"You're crazy if you think I'd make you take the subway to work. Calm down, go into the bathroom and wash up. I should have extra toothbrushes in the drawer to the right of the sink."

She took off towards the bathroom, combing her hands through her tangled hair as she went.

I slid out of bed, rubbing at my eyes and suppressing a yawn as I stood. I opened my nightstand drawer, moving a few things around before I found what I was looking for. I grasped the item in my hand and walked into the bathroom, leaning against to watch her as she brushed her teeth. Her eyes locked with mine in the mirror and I let the item dangle from my pointer finger. She arched an eyebrow, quizzically.

She spit out the toothpaste in the sink and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Take the car," I said before she could get any words out.

"That's insane. I can't take your car."

"You can. I trust you with it. Can you not drive stick?"

"I can…"

I crept up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist.

"That's incredibly hot," I said, still looking at her in the mirror. "Seriously, though—just drive it to work. You can bring it back afterwards if you like. Perhaps with a change of clothes so you can properly stay the night?"

She shut her eyes and placed her toothbrush on the sink.

"How do you do that?" She turned around to face me.

"Do what?"

"Make me feel compelled to do whatever you say," she frowned. "And you don't even have morning breath! You're completely unfair, Edward."

I grinned. "So you'll drive yourself to work?"

"Yes," she sighed, taking the keys from my hand finally. "I don't want to be fired—and I'd also like to go home and shower, and get different work clothes. It's the best option I have."

"And you'll come back over, tonight? I'll rub your feet, if you'd like."

"Still not playing fair, Edward."

"I don't think I know how," I shrugged softly. I gave her a quick pat on her butt before bringing her into the bedroom. "Let me know when you get home safely, okay? And…here." I pushed down my pajama pants and stepped out of them. "I'd have to kill someone if you walked out of here with no pants on."

"You're too kind," she stood on her tip toes to kiss me quickly. "I'm off at seven and I'll come by right after."

"I'll be awaiting your return," I replied, kissing her forehead.

"See you later, Edward," she said, grabbing her dress from the stool at the end of the bed and exiting the room.

I had to wonder why I had been so bad at relationships in the past when this seemed natural and easy. But then again, weren't they all in the beginning?

* * *

The words are pouring out of me and I can't stop it! I don't want to stop it, either. For the story's sake, we're pretending Orsay is a super fancy restaurant. I can't say for sure that it is, because I do not live in New York. I'm on the other side of the country in Vegas. It's effing hot-118 degrees? F.M.L. I'm thinking I'll start weekly updates at this point, maybe twice a week if I'm feeling lonely and want to read some reviews. In the mean time, feel free to check out my other fic that I've started recently "Save Our Souls" (yes I'm pimping myself out), it's got our favorite Twilight peeps and my second love, Zombies! (: Until next time, my sweets.

Happy Independence Day! To those of you in the states (: Let's have a BBQ and light stuff on fire!

xo chams


	8. Things Were Better Then

**Disclaimer: **You know the drill.

**Author's Note: **I'm blown away when I see the stats for this fic. Over a thousand views on the last chapter. Over a thousand favorites and follows. You guys are freaking awesome. From those of you that review, I thank you so very much and to those of you that simply read, you're still much appreciated! (:

"_Making the decision to have a child—it's momentous. It is to decide, forever, to have your heart go outside of your body." – _Elizabeth Stone

**Chapter Eight**

I was starting to get used to spending time with Bella. When she used my car, she returned Friday evening, the car void of any dents or scratches I might add—and stayed the night, as well as the following evening. She insisted I take her to work the next day, though, not wanting to be responsible for my 'overly expensive vehicle'. She made fun of me, referring to me as a Stay-At-Home-Wife, since I truly had nothing of great importance to do most days. It must have seemed strange to her, never seeing me work. She had the entire day off on Sunday and insisted on spending the day lounging around until it was time to take her home, but not before I played a piece for her as I had promised.

She accepted my pesky little friend request, too, while using my computer to check her email.

Her second night here, she woke up around three in the morning and ran to the bathroom to throw up in the toilet. I was behind her the entire time, pulling her hair back into a hideous ponytail and rubbing her back. She asked for some crackers which must have helped settle her stomach because she didn't get up the rest of the night. It happened again the next morning-after a night of us being tangled around each other I thought it'd be nice of me to make something for breakfast.

She threw up as soon as she came out of the room and smelled the eggs cooking. I apologized profusely, but she just waved me off. I wet a wash cloth for her and dabbed it against her forehead, wanting to do whatever I could to help. It all just seemed so violent, and I felt bad for her—she couldn't seem to keep any food down at times and I wondered if this was what she typically went through when I wasn't around.

Sitting at home now, though, it felt rather empty after two days here alone. I spent a few hours in the music room, then found myself on my computer again. God damn you, Facebook.

**Tyler Crowley:**

McDonalds should have a third drive thru window. So you can return all the wrong shit they gave you at the second one. They can't seem to get it right, ever. McFuck McYou.

**Peter Roberts**

Revenge! Because Karma is too slow.

**Isabella Swan**

Do you ever go on YouTube to just watch a music video and then five hours later you find yourself watching a tutorial on how to talk to a giraffe? I need to get ready for work—do something productive.

Her post caused me to smile.

As if she knew I was thinking about her, my phone started to buzz and her name appeared.

"Bella," I said, my smile was evident in my voice.

"Hey, you," she replied, sounding slightly nasally. "How's it going?"

"Bored out of my mind to tell you the truth," I told her. "You okay?"

"Congested. I woke up to a nose bleed, today. I don't know if I prefer that or blowing chunks," she sighed heavily.

"Can I come by and see you? I can bring something to help you with that, too," I offered.

"I have to be at work in a little bit, sorry. I'm off tomorrow though," she informed me.

"I'll be over around noon?"

"Sounds good," she said. "Hey—are you ever going to get a job?"

I laughed out loud at her question—she had teased me with this question whenever I said I was at home, doing nothing.

"On a serious note, I actually got a call from a company I was working with in California. So I have to work on a demo for them. If they like it, I'll probably do quite a bit of work for them."

"Really? That's awesome Edward! Congratulations, when did you find out?"

"Yesterday, they emailed me all the information and stuff for it today, though. I'm kind of excited to work on it," I said.

"You still haven't played me anything. And if you could see my face right now, I'm visibly pouting."

"The next time you're over I will, I promise."

"I'll hold you to it. I gotta get ready, though. I'll call you later?"

"Sure. Don't work too hard."

She laughed lightly in my ear, "Bye, Edward."

* * *

I arrived at Bella's apartment, right on time as usual, with a bag from the drug store in hand.

"Hey, you," she greeted, smiling and holding the door open to let me in. "What's in the bag?"

"A humidifier for you to plug in when you're going to sleep—it should help to clear up your sinuses."

"That's so sweet, thank you. Set ir down on the table for now, I'm in the middle of a movie," she said, going to sit on the couch. She leaned over the coffee table, closing a notebook and pushing it to the side.

"Marie Antoinette?" I asked rhetorically, watching the screen.

"She's my favorite," she shrugged lightly, settling back into the couch.

I placed the bag on the table before joining her. We resumed our normal position, with her snuggled up to my side.

It seemed as soon as we got comfortable, my phone began to buzz and I pulled it from my pocket, checking the screen to see who it was. I pressed the talk button.

"Emmett," I answered.

"Hey, what are you doing?" He asked.

I glanced at Bella.

"I just got to Bella's place. What's up?"

"Really? What are you guys doing—breathing exercises?"

"Shut up, what do you want?"

"I'm kidding, when do I get to meet her?"

This was obviously one of those 'Emmett Calls' that didn't really serve a purpose. He was probably sitting at home, watching Animal Planet with nothing else to do.

"I'm not sure you should," I told him. He would undeniably meet her at some point, but he was rather insensible and didn't really know when to cut his jokes short.

"Aw, don't be like that. Bring her around to my place in a bit," He offered.

"I don't know if she's up for it."

"Just ask her, and then bring her," he said before promptly hanging up the phone.

I sighed, pushing the phone back into my pocket.

"Who was that?" She inquired curiously.

"Emmett—do you want to meet him?" I asked after a moment.

"Emmett," She repeated the name, as if tossing it through her memory. "As in your best friend?"

I nodded.

"Sure, that would be nice—I need to get out of the house for a bit."

I hadn't expected her to accept so quickly—and I'd been kind of hoping she'd rather stay at her place and just relax a little.

"Oh, wait…I told Alice we would hang out later. Do you think she could come with us?"

"I don't see why not," I told her, knowing Emmett didn't mind guests in the slightest.

"Good. I'll call her and then find a pair of shoes," She announced before standing up, picking her phone up from the coffee table. She pressed a few buttons and walked away as it rang.

She reemerged a minute or two later, shoes on her feet, and her purse on her shoulder—that was fast.

"I told Alice we could pick her up, is that okay?"

"Of course," I said, sincerely. I was interested in properly meeting her; she spoke about her often.

We left her apartment and drove a few blocks down to where she said Alice lived.

Alice looked just as I hazily remembered from the night at the club. All short with dark hair and bright blue eyes.

Bella immediately turned around to formally introduce us when Alice slid in the back seat, "Alice this is Edward. Edward, Alice."

"It's very nice to finally meet you, Alice—properly, I mean" I said, smiling at her from the rearview mirror as I pulled out onto the street again.

"Same here. It's not often you get tossed into a situation like this, but honestly, I think Bella needed something to spice up her life," She teased, letting out a small giggle.

It was contagious, and I found myself chuckling.

The ride to Emmett's was filled with small talk. I discovered that Alice was in her final year at a design school, and waned to open up a boutique when she graduated.

Emmett and I lived in the same building and had keys to each other's condo, so I let us in when we arrived. He wasn't anywhere in sight but I could hear loud music coming from his game room. I led the ladies down the hall and to the room. We all halted and watched him bang away at the drums to his Rock Band set from the doorway. The song soon finished, and the girls erupted in a round of applause, which caused him to jump and turn around to look at us. He smiled and we entered the room.

"How nice of you to let yourselves in," He said sarcastically. "I'm Emmett. And you must be Bella." He added, his gaze fixed on her.

I looked at Bella as she nodded, offering a soft smile. He walked towards her and enveloped her in a hug, though I could tell he was refraining from squeezing as hard as he normally would have.

"This is my friend Alice," She introduced, gesturing to her friend at her side.

He stepped to the side and bent to give Alice a hug—he was much too friendly.

The girls giggled and he gestured towards his console.

"Can I interest you ladies in a game?"

They nodded, and Bella immediately went to the drums. Alice donned the guitar and Emmett shrugged, "I guess that leaves me as lead singer. Unless…did you want to, bro?"

"No, no thanks—I'll watch."

Emmett picked up a controller and navigated his way through the menu, and they waited as the game loaded.

I leaned back against the wall, watching the spectacle in front of me. This would definitely be entertaining.

Alice started playing first, and the guitar led into the vocals of 'My Name is Jonas' by Weezer, and soon after Emmett unleashed his awful singing, Bella began beating at the drums—messing up a little at first before picking up her pace. It was a sight to see, Emmett was the most energetic of them all, with Alice following behind in a close second. I laughed out loud; though they couldn't hear, thanks to the volume level, as well as Emmett's booming voice.

"My name is Wakefield. Got a box full of your toys, they're fresh out of batteries—but they're still making noise, making noise," Emmett belted out, raising the decibel level of his voice noticeably higher. "Guess what I received, in the mail today. Words of deep concern from my little brother," He made a show of putting on a sad face and pointing in my direction which caused the girls to laugh.

I rolled my eyes as he turned his attention back to the screen and continued singing. When the guitar and drums took over he made a point of making an announcement to their audience that consisted of me. "Rockin' out on guitar, we got spunky Alice and bangin' on the drums is Bella!" He imitated the sound of a crowd going 'wild', causing Alice and Bella to laugh harder than they already were, though they weren't deterred. Bella's bottom lip was caught firmly between her teeth as she concentrated on not missing a note, and Alice's head was nodding to the beat of the drums.

All too soon the song was over and Bella stood, ringing her hands together when they were finally free of the drumsticks. She looked to me and grinned, shrugging her shoulders.

"Nice job, both of you."

"It's nothing close to playing the actual drums in the slightest, I bet," Bella said, walking towards me and wrapping her arms around my waist. I hugged her back and placed a kiss atop her head.

"You're right, but it's still fun, no?"

"It was, you can really take your anger out on those things," She murmured into my chest before taking a small step back. "Emmett, have you got anything to eat?"

Her simple question caused me to smile, glad that she was up for eating something.

"That's an unnecessary question—give me a minute and I'll whip up some steaks," He said, in the process of turning off the game console.

"I'll help you," Bella offered.

"Sure, if you want. I hear you cook really well," He said, walking out of the room, Alice and I following in suit.

He and Bella went into the kitchen and I motioned for Alice to follow me into the living room where the large television screen was. I turned it on and handed her the remote which she shook off.

"I'll end up changing it to 'What Not to Wear' and you'll regret that decision," she informed me.

"It's possible, but I won't mind too much," I shrugged.

She took the remote and immediately changed it to the show she had just mentioned. Alice was tuned into it, and I attempted to pay attention, not wanting to seem rude. I quickly caught the gist of it—the hosts of the show, a man and a woman (Emmett would have said two women) basically told a person that they didn't know how to dress, and gave them an entirely new wardrobe and a makeover.

Alice gasped and she put her hand over her chest, "That is the most hideous dress I've ever seen. The floral print? Oh my," She shook her head, disappointed.

"Is she making you watch 'What Not to Wear' in there, Edward?" Bella's voice said, at first from in the kitchen but then steadily growing closer. She was soon standing right next to the sofa, smiling down at me.

"He told me to pick something," Alice shrugged.

"Just be happy it's not the weekend, they usually have marathons," Bella bent down to whisper in my ear. She stood up straight, winking at me. "I'm going to finish helping Emmett."

Alice and I were soon left alone in the living room again.

"So, you're in design school, right?" I asked, wanting to strike up conversation. I wanted to learn more about her, too, seeing as how she was Bella's best friend. I was sure Emmett was doing the same in the kitchen with Bella, but I only hoped he was on his best behavior and not throwing any cheeky remarks her way. She was under enough pressure with the pregnancy already.

"Yes. I'm taking a few extra courses, otherwise I would have been done by now. I'd rather learn as much as I can before throwing myself out into that dangerous world," she told me, tearing her eyes away from the screen to look at me.

"Do you only design clothing? Or interior as well? My mother is an interior designer," I told her.

"I enjoy both, clothing a lot more though. I just about throw a fit if Bella isn't matching or wearing something the proper way," she admitted, giggling.

"I don't mind the way she dresses," I said, shrugging my shoulders. I really didn't see anything wrong with it. I actually preferred it that Bella wasn't the type of girl to overly obsess about something so fickle.

"That's good for you then," she murmured with a teasing glint in her eye. "But don't think for one second I'm going to let your baby walk around in olive drab—unless he was born with your eyes. Hey," She paused, turning fully to face me on the couch. "Have you ever considered adding more green to your wardrobe? Doesn't have to be anything big, subtlety can work well in your case. Perhaps a dark colored shirt with green accents or, a green tie if you wear business suits."

_In my case_? I didn't even know I had a case. I looked at her, saying nothing, just blinking. How were you supposed to respond to something like that, anyways?

"Sorry," She said, shaking her head, "I tend to do that a lot. I go off on clothing tangents."

"It's all right; I've just never had anyone say anything like _that_ to me."

Alice let out another giggle, "Well, remember what I said, it'd bring out the green in your eyes. That's one of your best features and Bella's favorite asset about you—but don't tell her I told you that."

Bella's favorite asset was my eyes? That was a reassuring thought. I knew green eyes such as mine were really rare, but I never thought to co-ordinate my clothing with them.

"So, when I suddenly start matching in an 'Alice' sort of way, she won't grow suspicious?"

"Not until you start wearing Alice Brandon originals, but I'm sure we have a bit of time for that," She informed me, letting out another bell-ringing giggle.

For the most part she tuned back into her show after that, and I was barely paying attention. She would bring up something during the commercials breaks and I would respond. I discovered more information about her boyfriend; Jasper, how they met, and she asked a bit about my music.

Turns out she and Jasper met during some kind of rally, though they were both on opposing ends of the spectrum. He was in the army, and she was rallying for peace. It sounded romantic the way she told it, anyway. He had finally been stationed to New York after serving his required amount of years away, with visits back home few and far in between—they had always lived together, but most of the time their apartment was left empty and she crashed at Bella's.

Eventually, Emmett told us to come out on the balcony to eat, and we seated ourselves around the table before digging in. It was exquisite; I had already learned never to doubt any of the food Bella had a helping hand in making. It was tender, juicy, and flavorful. I hadn't realized it was possible to develop such feelings over a steak.

"Edward," Alice spoke up after taking a sip of her water, "You were telling me about how you and Emmett started off as enemies or something?"

Emmett guffawed at this, nearly choking on the food in his throat. He must have been laughing at the memories.

I rolled my eyes, "We were neighbors, yeah, and our parents were always pushing us to hang out he first summer that I moved up to the Hampton's and Emmett didn't really like that, seeing as how he was two years older than me."

"Oh, it wasn't always that bad," He shook his head, but was still grinning.

"Not until he stared middle school and I was still in elementary. He started picking on me relentlessly—but I still wanted to hang out with him, for some reason," I said.

"Because I'm cooler than you," He chimed in. "Anyways, I'll tell you guys one of the funniest stories. Edward was always a little…_nerd_, if you will. He wound up skipping the fifth grade and shit and became the over achiever that he is. So you see, I thought it'd be funny to play a little trick on him. One night during one of our required sleepovers—his parents were out of town that time—I convinced him to leave the house with me probably around midnight or so. We rode our bikes down to the edge of the woods and then got off. I blind folded him and walked him into the forest for about twenty minutes and I told him to count to a hundred and then come find me and then I took off as fast as I could for the house, but when I got there, he was waiting on the stoop for me," Emmett said, chuckling.

"How did he get back before you?" Alice asked.

"He's a genius," Emmett suggested, shrugging.

"Either the North Star really works, or I remembered the steps and I'm just a faster runner," I explained.

"Followed the North Star, eh?" Bella asked, smiling as she stuck her fork into another piece of steak. "Nice navigation skills, Mr. Columbus. How did you retaliate?"

"I don't think I did, honestly. I don't think I ever did," I told her.

"That makes Emmett sound like even more of a bully." Alice said.

"Don't let the innocent looking dimples fool you—he can be brutal. He was probably just trying to get a rise out of me," I shrugged my shoulders.

"Damn you for always remaining so calm when I provoked you. That always pissed me off, you know," Emmett said, pushing his plate away from him when he took the last bite. "Excellent, excellent steaks, Bella."

"Thank you," She murmured appreciatively.

After everyone had finished eating we remained on the balcony talking for another hour or so. Bella yawned and admitted to becoming tired, and Alice mentioned that Jasper would be home from work soon. We all said our goodbyes to Emmett and I took the girls home. Once in Bella's apartment, she immediately began to rid herself of her clothing, dropping them on the floor as she walked into her room, voicing how exhausted she felt. I chuckled and picked up the clothes, following after her.

She settled in on her bed and I sat down at the foot, unfortunately I wouldn't be able to stay the night—but I did have a question for her.

"Are you doing anything for on the eleventh?"

"I'm not sure if I have the night off, yet, why?"

"My parents always have this charity event at the house around Thanksgiving every year, and I want you to come with me, if you can."

"You want me to meet your parents?"

I nodded. "As soon as Emmett and I got to my parents house, he told my mom about you," I laughed at the memory. "He'll tell her anything she wants to hear, if she makes her famous apple pie."

"Do you think they'll like me?" She sounded uncertain.

Having never brought a woman home to meet them, I couldn't honestly say for sure.

"I like you," I shrugged, "So they don't really have a choice."

"That's so reassuring, thank you, Edward." She rolled her eyes.

"I don't really know…but there's only one way to find out, right?"

"I'll see if I can get the night off," she said, causing me to smile.

"Great," I beamed. "It's at five, so I'll have to pick you up a little after three so we can get there in time, traffic getting there really sucks."

"Okay," she nodded softly, pulling the blankets up to her chin. "Are you not staying?" she eyed my clothing.

"Not tonight. I actually have some work to do tomorrow, can you believe?"

"I think hell just froze over," she cocked her head to the side playfully.

I shook my head, standing from the bed. "Let me know if you can make it, okay?"

"Sure, sure. Lock the bottom lock from the inside, okay? I'll get up in a minute to lock everything else up."

"Alright," I walked around to the side of the bed she was lying on, kissing her on the lips.

We still hadn't put a label on this…thing we had—it felt like a relationship to me, though. I wasn't one to rally behind couples staying together for the sake of the child, which could cause a train wreck in the end. If we tried and it didn't work then so be it, but a part of me, somewhere deep down had its fingers, toes, arms, and legs crossed in hopes that it would.

* * *

See you guys next time, when we meet the parents.

xo chams


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